UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Letter from Executive Director: Jan Swift As I write this letter, I am sitting in my comfortable study, looking out the window at a beautiful, sunny, clear sky. Life is good and full of blessings, friends, and opportunities for which I am thankful. A solid education and a higher degree paved the way for an easier life from the one I knew as a young person. In today’s Sunday Advertiser, I read of a local woman who is about my age, very attractive, and optimistic despite trying times. She is among the working poor, with a net income of $1,003.39 per month, which must cover all expenses. She makes too much for government assistance, and turns to Food Net for help with groceries when her funds run out after paying her bills. This is around midmonth, every month.
Upcoming Events March Membership Meeting Petroleum Club March 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Fourth Annual Crawfish Boil Teurlings Catholic High School April 19, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
At our March 21, 2012 meeting, we will honor Marcelle Citron as our Philanthropist of the Year. Marcelle founded Food Net, as well as Project RX, and has set an example for all of us about what it means to exhibit servant leadership. Her philanthropic spirit made it possible for this local woman to maintain her dignity and receive nutritious food when her pantry is empty. Maybe it is because I know Marcelle, maybe it is because of the beautiful woman whom I read about today, but I want to pay it forward. May each of you count your own blessings, and notice those in our community who need our help. They are right under your nose, right beside you. It is not a situation limited to Upper Lafayette, not at all. But we can make our voices heard and build a stronger community.
March 21, 2012 Luncheon to Honor Marcelle Citron, Philanthropist of the Year
ULEDF Board of Directors & Staff
Adrian Baudoin, President Cherie Hebert, V. President Amos Batiste, Secretary Todd Citron, Treasurer Don Dupuis Ed Krampe Donna Landry Beau Phares Dwight Prudhomme Dwight “Bo” Ramsay Herbert Schilling Jerry Vascocu Monty Warren David Welch Jan Swift, Director
Marcelle Fortier Citron, Vice President and co-owner of Hub City Ford, will be the recipient of Upper Lafayette’s Second Annual Philanthropist of the Year. The selection of Marcelle as our honoree was an easy choice; helping ensure that people’s basic needs are met has been the defining characteristic of Marcelle’s adult life. Many of the non-profit work undertaken in Lafayette is taken for granted today, but can you imagine our community without FoodNet, Faith House, or Project RX? Without Marcelle, these enduring programs may never have gotten off the ground. Marcelle was a also a founding member of Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, as well as President of Citizens of Direct Action (“CODA”) which focused on the needs of North Lafayette. Our March meeting will also focus on Upper Lafayette residential real estate, and we will welcome Bill Bacque, Van Eaton & Romero, and Jim Keaty, Keaty Real Estate, to discuss the market. This is a meeting you will not want to miss!
Marcelle Citron and Todd Citron
Please join us as we honor Marcelle on Wednesday, March 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Petroleum Club. Tickets for members are $35 each or a reserved table for eight for $250.00. Non members may attend for $45 per ticket. Register online at www.upperlafayette.com under our Events section or mail payment to ULEDF, P. O. Box 53107, Lafayette LA 70505. As we honor Marcelle, let’s also draw inspiration for our own lives, that we may make a difference in others’ lives in the way that we are particularly called upon.
Marcelle Citron with Edsel B. Ford II
Volume 39, Page 1
February/March 2012
www.upperlafayette.com
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Atakapa-Ishak Bike Trail Opens First Phase Parc Sans Souci in downtown Lafayette was the place for celebrating the official opening of the first phase of the Atakapa-Ishak Trail on February 25, 2012. Commencing downtown at the Parc, the trail links downtown to Beaver Park via safely marked paths shared with roadways, bike lanes and sidewalks. This initial phase has been many years in the making, and the inspiration behind the project known as “T.R.A.I.L.” (Transportation & Recreation Alternatives in Louisiana) is Scott Schilling. Scott spoke to Upper Lafayette in May 2008, where he explained the mission of TRAIL: to make our transportation arteries pedestrian and bike-friendly and provide more recreational opportunities. Scott has worked tirelessly along with Lafayette City-Parish Government officials, Rotary North and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for many years to see the project reach fruition.
Bikers at beautiful Parc Sans Souci
The FHWA Recreational Trails Program for Louisiana awarded T.R.A.I.L. a grant of $100,000 per year through the Community Foundation of Acadiana to develop the Atakapas-Ishak Trail. This dedication was the first of nearly 30 phases of the TRAIL. The second phase of the project will extend the trail from Beaver Park to the Jean Lafitte Cultural Center by using a new pedestrian underpass that goes underneath Highway 90 at the Vermilion River. The next major phase planned will be a loop around the Lafayette airport that travels along the Vermilion River and Bayou Tortue. Above all else, Upper Lafayette wants to encourage safe traveling for all concerned: pedestrians, bikers, motorcyclists and vehicles. LCG recently released statistics regarding bicycle injuries and deaths which should raise safety awareness: • 344 Bicycle Crashes parish wide from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2010 • 18 were Severe Injury Crashes • 7 were Fatal Crashes • 49 Cycling Crashes on Johnston Street from January 1, 2008 to October 10, 2011 • 27 (55%) involved a cyclist traveling against the direction of traffic. • 30 (61%) were Injury Crashes (EMS responded to the scene)
Ribbon Cutting
• 1 Fatal Crash (at Marilyn Drive) Officials emphasize the need to educate the public that cyclists are required by law to ride in the direction of traffic. Riding against the flow of traffic endangers the public and the cyclist as in the cases of the recent tragedy on Johnston Street and another in the outlying area of the parish. Kudos to Scott Schilling and all involved with T.R.A.I.L. for making our community a better place. For more information please refer to: http://mpo.lafayettela.gov/projects/Atakapa-IshakTrail/ text/Atakapa_Ishak_Trail_11_7-6-11.pdf
Riders getting ready to start
Scott Schilling
Volume 39, Page 2
February/March 2012
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UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Fourth Annual Crawfish Boil to be Held at Teurlings Catholic High
You are invited to ULEDF’s fourth Annual Crawfish Boil will be held on
Thursday, April 19, 2012 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at
Teurlings Catholic High School Musical Entertainment by Sean Trcalek
Sean Trcalek
Based upon popular demand, Seth Citron’s Crawdaddy’s On-Site Catering will cater the crawfish and sides. We are grateful to Schilling Distributing Co. and Coca Cola Bottling Company for generously supplying beverages for the event. Sean Trcalek will be providing the entertainment. You will not want to miss this opportunity to have fun and check out the incredible progress made at Teurling’s football stadium! Please invite friends and family to join us at this fun spring celebration. Tickets may be purchased for $35.00 per person ($20.00 per child) by registering online at www.upperlafayette.com under our Events section or by mailing payment to ULEDF, P. O. Box 53107, Lafayette LA 70505. RSVP by April 13. We look forward to seeing you there!
Volume 39, Page 3
February/March 2012
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UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Picard Center Hosts Grand Opening Governor Bobby Jindal joined an overflowing crowd of statewide elected officials, school administrators and guests on February 16, 2012 to celebrate the new home of the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Research Park. Cecil Picard was a beloved State Senator and was named State Superintendent of Education by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. He was a champion of using proven methods to ensure school accountability, and a staunch advocate of strong pre-K programs that prepare our students for the classroom. The Picard Center is an importance source of data and analysis on education, children’s health, poverty’s effect on families, and lifelong learning. The establishment of the center is credited to Picard and Loyd J. Rockhold, a key philanthropist behind the Center and founder of the Special Children’s Foundation, both of whom are deceased. Tyron Picard and Sharon Holder, children of the two men, were both proudly on hand to witness this important event. The new Picard Center building is located beside the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Center on E. Devalcourt Street, costing $5.6 million to build and offering 40, 000 square feet of space for 80 offices, UL Lafayette’s Educational Counseling unit, the Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies, the Educational Foundation and Leadership Department, the Center for Gifted Education, and the Department of Psychology. The building features a museum-quality room honoring Cecil J. Picard and highlighting his lifelong contributions to education. The room will be open to the general public during University hours. The building also includes a data analysis room that can display numerous data sources simultaneously, and the Loyd Rockhold Distance Education and Conference Center, which can hold up to 250 individuals and has distance learning and video conferencing capabilities. It is truly a beautiful facility that the public must visit to appreciate fully.
Joey Durel, Pres. Joe Savoie, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Tyron Picard and Billy Stokes
Some of the current initiatives for the Center include working with school districts to implement comprehensive birth-to-five programs in their areas, provide surveillance on the nutrition and fitness levels of Louisiana’s children, and develop electronic school health record capacity to improve communication with all health care providers in their communities. Since the Picard Center’s establishment at UL Lafayette in 2005, it has brought more than $40 million into the university, through contracts, state appropriations, capital construction dollars and foundation contributions. We should all be grateful for the vision of the Picard and Rockhold for the untold impact their lives meant for our children and community. For more information, please see http://picardcenter.org/Pages/home.aspx
Crowd gathered at Picard Center for Grand Opening
Volume 39, Page 4
February/March 2012
www.upperlafayette.com
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... 9 Tips for Successful E-Mail Campaigns Source: Dale Carnegie Training Institute Most people ignore and delete e-mails from their inbox. The national open rate for emails published by Constant Contact is 13%. A whopping 87 % remain ignored. To maximize the open rate for your e-mail campaigns, Dale Carnegie Training Institute has collected 9 tips and suggestions for you. 1. Spend Time Writing Your Subject Line: Your subject line is your campaign’s headline. A great headline represents 80% of a campaign’s success. With that said, we recommend using emotionally driven headlines like: “5 Sure-Fire Ways To Close Your Coldest Prospect” versus “January e-Newsletter.” Another one would be: “7 Must-Have Apps For Salespeople (Inc. Magazine Article)” versus “Article By Inc. Magazine.” 2. Know Your Subject Line’s Length: Long subject lines can distract a reader from opening your e-mail. You also need to be cognizant of how e-mails come across on a Smartphone, because you will find that most will only display about 27 characters. 3. Pay Special Attention To Your Frequency And Recency Rate: Too many e-mail campaigns in too short of a time span can do more harm than good. How can you determine the frequency of a campaign? Is your e-mail list an “opt in” list or one from which you just gathered names from business cards, websites and chamber/association lists. If it is the latter, you need to tread lightly. 4. Make Your Message Easy To Read: Write your messages in short sentences and paragraphs as well as add short and snappy headlines to introduce new paragraphs. It is also recommended that you use bullets/numbers to make it easier for people to read. 5. Be Better At Writing Copy: Compelling marketing messages will not only motivate people to take action, but more importantly, get people to want to read your e-mail campaigns. When writing copy: • Your subject line is the headline for your campaign. • Your content should help/educate people about their job or what your organization does that makes it unique. • Use sub-headlines in the body of your campaign to make it easy for people to skim its content. • Always provide readers with a risk-free invitational offer to help them take the next step in the buying process. 6. Check Your Spelling And Grammar Before Pressing The Send Button: People reading your e-mail campaigns will catch your spelling and grammar errors. We highly recommend cutting and pasting your final format into a Microsoft Word document, and run your spelling and grammar checks. The results will shock you. 7. Pay Special Attention To The Name Used In The Sent And Reply Field: People will open your e-mail if they know you and/or your company. This is why we recommend, in some cases, that a person’s name is used in the ‘from’ field versus a company name. 8. Avoid Spam Words In Your Subject Line: The majority of e-mail servers use spam detection software to automatically filter e-mails that contains certain words and symbols such as free, stock, eBay, password, mortgage, exclamation points, etc. 9. Don’t Use An Exclamation Point In Your Subject Line: It is not good practice to use exclamation point in subject lines. In fact, Google bans all types of punctuation from its AdWords ads. For more information, please email tyler_winner@dalecarnegie.com Volume 39, Page 5
February/March 2012
www.upperlafayette.com
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Opelousas General Hospital Foundation Offering Healthcare Scholarships For the sixth year in a row, OGHS Foundation is offering healthcare scholarships. The foundation will be helping to provide educational opportunities for individuals interested in healthcare who are academically qualified for admittance to an accredited college or vocational school. The OGHS Foundation Scholarship Fund may be used for courses to further education in medical fields such as nursing, respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, medical records, medical office assistant, patient care technician and other healthcare related fields as approved by the scholarship committee. Scholarship amounts may include partial or full payment of tuition at LSU - Eunice, LSU - Alexandria, UL at Lafayette, or Louisiana Technical College - TH Harris campus. To qualify for the scholarship you must be a resident of St. Landry Parish and must have applied to one of the above listed institutions for one of the approved healthcare related programs.
Opelousas General Hospital
Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic background, probability of graduation, maturity, financial status, community involvement, and availability of resources and the needs of Opelousas General Health System. The amount of the scholarships will vary with each recipient based upon the number of applicants, the amount of funding available, and your chosen field. Scholarships will be awarded in May. The deadline to turn in applications for this scholarship is April 13, 2012. Scholarship information and the application may be obtained at: http://www.opelousasgeneral.com/ogh.nsf/View/FoundationScholarships or phone (337)594-3499 with questions.
Special Thanks to Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation Members! PLATINUM Acadian Ambulance Service Acadiana Computer Systems, Inc. Aries Marine Corporation ASH/Badger Oil Company Delta Media Home Furniture Hub City Ford, Inc. IberiaBank Lafayette General Medical Center McDonald’s of Acadiana MidSouth Bank Our Lady of Lourdes Republic National Distributing Company Schilling Distributing Company The Southwest Group Whitney Bank GOLD Acadiana Rubber & Gasket Atmos Energy Beau Box Commercial Real Estate Fenstermaker & Associates Home Bank Honda of Lafayette Opelousas General Health System Prejean’s Restaurant
SILVER Ace Plumbing, Inc. Allstates Building Systems Aspen Clinic BBR Creative Edward Jones/Bob Crist Master Builders & Specialties Mello Joy Coffee Company Oakbourne Country Club Steven Santillo, APLC Shelf Energy, LLC Stone Energy Corporation Stirling Properties Tobacco Free Living Walters Funeral Home BRONZE Acadiana C.A.R.E.S. Advancial Associated Travel Group Jean Breaux, Jr. & Associates City of Carencro City of Scott David Courville–Architect Crawdaddy’s On-Site Catering Derek Development Corp, LLC Joey Durel
BRONZE CONT’D ECGC Women’s Business Center Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic Lee Verret/State Farm Insurance Agency Lynn Guidry–Architect Lowry’s Printing and Copying Flo Meadows Melancon I-49 Storage Center Petroleum Club of Lafayette Pope John Paul II Academy Richard Leblanc/Leblanc’s Auto Wholesale Ron J. Gaubert Realtors W. W. Rucks III Scott Police Department Ken Simeral SLEMCO Buddy Webb/Rayne State Bank Sylvan Learning Center
Volume 39, Page 6
February/March 2012
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