Community

2020

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Alvin CahEE

MISSION TO SERVE A GIVING HEART

Emily romero

gayle jones

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COMMUNITY 2020

Alvin Cahee

Welsh man risks life to save others

By Allison Cryer

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lvin Cahee, of Welsh, has dedicated his life to helping others, but this year, he nearly did so literally.

Cahee has worked for the last 23 years in the nursing field here in Jeff Davis Parish.

This year, he was charged with running the COVID-19 floor at Jennings American Legion Hospital (JALH) and contracted the virus himself in the process.

“I truly think if I had not gone to the hospital, I would have lost my life,” he said. “This was literally the worst I have ever felt in my life. I thought I was going to die.”

In March, he figured out he had the virus when he got extremely winded walking to bring his trash to the highway.

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“You can be asymptomatic for several days and not even know you have it,” he said. “That is what people need to remember.”

His symptoms included shortness of breath, extreme weakness and gastrointestinal problems.

“I lost 20 pounds when I was sick. I had no appetite at all and that was not me,” he said. “I was trying to use the hospital as a last resort but I kept declining.”

Cahee made a full recovery with the help of hospital staff at JALH. “I almost had to be put on a ventilator, which would have been bad for morale,” he said. “I was on high-flow oxygen because the oxygen by itself just wasn’t cutting it. I am 100 percent certain that if I had not gone to the hospital, I would not be here today.”

Soon after he contracted the virus, he said his worst fear was confirmed when his grandmother tested positive for COVID-19.

“My grandmother lives with me and I gave her the option to stay with family, but she was like ‘No, the Lord is going to take care of us,’” he said.

While his grandmother recovered at home with no respiratory issues, Cahee was out of work for a month and a half with the illness.

“The illness is unique in that it affects everybody differently,” he said. “That messed with me mentally because if something happened to her because I brought it home, I would be devastated.”

He said the landscape of his job has changed vastly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have to wear a mask 24/7 and social distancing — we can’t even eat together anymore,” he said. “Also the gowning and all the added PPE like wearing goggles and shields was frustrating.”

Cahee said at first full PPE was required; however, now that the state has moved into Phase 3, only surgical masks on top of N-95s and gloves are necessary.

“We have nurses that come from other hospitals that actually said JALH was one of the places that was well-prepared when it came to PPE supplies,” he said.

One of the biggest changes has been to the hospital’s visitor policy.

“Before, people could have visitors anytime.

Now if you are a COVID patient or you are being tested, we have to treat you like you have it until you get a negative result,” he said. “And regular patients are only allowed to have one visitor the whole time they are in the hospital.”

Hospital staff can only communicate with one family member for each patient.

He said the illness can be harder on some than others.

“Taking care of a COVID patient is not the same as taking care of a regular patient,” he

said. “It seems like with COVID, you can do the same thing for one patient as the other but one may not make it and one may go into a full recovery. With something like pneumonia you have a standard protocol.

It is a sickening illness — it doesn’t always respond to treatment.”

The illness also does not discriminate

based on age or race, he said.

“You see someone in their twenties pass away from it and older people pass away from it too, you know, blacks and whites with no rhyme or reason,” he said.

He said since March, things do seem to be slowing down.

“At one time literally all our beds were

COMMUNITY 2020

COVID patients and that is rough,” he said.

“Thank God it has slowed down a whole lot now.”

When asked why he continues to work with COVID patients after his near-death experience, Cahee says he is even more focused on helping others get through the illness after facing it himself.

“Going back to work, it kind of messed with me mentally because you just had this illness and now you are going back pretty much in the line of fire to work on the COVID floor,” he said. “My mom still asks why I put myself back through that. If I could help somebody get better from it, I’m going to do it. If you follow the proper techniques, you put yourself at a lower risk.”

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“My mom still asks why I put myself through that.

If I could help somebody get better from it, I’m going to do it.” ~ Alvin Cahee

Since the Hurricane Laura, Cahee said he has noticed a difference in the way people are social distancing.

“Look at Walmart, you don’t even have to

wear a mask to go in there anymore,” he said.

“It seems like since Hurricane Laura came, COVID has been on the back burner and you don’t even hear about it anymore. Just because you don’t know the people doesn’t mean it is not happening.”

He encourages everyone to renew their focus on coronavirus prevention.

“I just hope the numbers don’t start going back up as a result,” he said. “If the numbers start going up, then maybe that is what will wake people up again. It is still out there and is something that we need to be aware about.

COVID is a real thing.”

•

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COMMUNITY 2020

Father’s flowers continue to bloom and offer hope

By Sheila Smith

The Louisiana irises at the McNally home on Cary Avenue in Jennings have been blooming since June 1957, when in the midst of tragedy, a man saw bulbs floating in floodwaters and decided to take them home.

James Arceneaux, late father of Jennings resident Flo McNally, was just one of the many who went into Cameron Parish for recovery efforts following Hurricane Audrey. The category three hurricane killed an estimated 415 people and devastated home and land owners.

“If he found human remains, he never told his children,” said McNally. “But he did say the human misery from this hurricane was as hard on him as what he had seen in Italy and North Africa in World War II.” McNally said her father was an avid gardener and while riding in his boat, he spotted the bulbs in the water. Arceneaux took the bulbs and planted them in his yard when he returned home. The next year, they bloomed, and have done so for 62 years.

“Every year when they bloomed, the family

prayed for the victims of the storms and their families,” McNally said. “ James died in 1965 and his wife Justine passed in 2002. McNally and her family decided to move into her old family home and when they did, she discovered the irises were still blooming.

“I told my husband he could do anything with the yard he wanted except move the Hurricane Audrey irises,” she said.

Today the McNally family still prays for the victims of Hurricane Audrey. This year and in the future, however, McNally said she and her family will play for the victims of the coronavirus pandemic, their families and those working on the front lines of the crisis.

As McNally said, “The irises have been and always will be a sign of hope after adversity.”

•

By Allison Cryer

Giving back comes I naturally for local woman

n the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, you could find Emily Romero fielding phone calls and traveling across the parish to help those in need.

Romero was raised in Jennings and recalls growing up here as “safe and

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supportive.”

“Jennings is a community where everybody knows everybody and you see neighbors helping neighbors,” she said.

Growing up in the church played a large role in her development as an involved citizen.

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COMMUNITY 2020

Page 9: Romero with linemen after a recent hurricane.

Left: Romero helps distribute food and supplies.

Below: Romero having fun with husband, Troy, and family.

“We were very involved in the church in my youth, where I took part in numerous service projects at nursing homes and for the elderly,” she said. “It had a big impact on me.”

She is also a member of the Welsh Rotary Club and works with Interact, providing outreach to schools.

When Romero and her family decided to stay for Hurricane Laura, Romero said she never expected to become so central to the recovery mission.

“My oldest son works for Jeff Davis Electric Co-Op as a lineman so we decided to stay,” she said. “This was the first time we ever stayed for a storm and we could be there with our feet on the ground when it was over.”

The town of Iowa, near Romero’s home, was greatly impacted by the storm.

Immediately after the storm, Romero was out checking on neighbors’ homes, taking pictures of the damage and letting them know what they would need upon their return home.

“Out of that developed a snowstorm of helping people figure out what to do after the devastation,” she said.

She and her husband, District 37 State Representative Troy Romero, received an onslaught of messages from residents asking for help.

“I started answering questions and I figured out that if one person needed this information, so did many others,” she said. “I like to help people. I feel that is my calling in life.”

She began posting distribution sites, agency press releases and information on where to get help for those affected by the storm on social

media. It was then her mission took flight.

“One of our posts had over 40,000 hits,” she beamed. “It’s been amazing to reach so many people.”

Her next order of business was reaching those who didn’t have internet or social media.

“We started with the churches, contacted the fire chiefs and then went out directly into the community to see what the needs were of the people,” she said.

She said people showed so much appreciation for the work they were doing.

“I don’t do it because I want any credit. I do it because it is the right thing to do and it’s what needs to be done,” she said.

So far she has helped people file for disaster assistance, worked with vendors to deliver pallets of food and supplies, and even answered individual requests for help.

“A few days after Hurricane Laura hit we got a call in reference to an elderly couple in our area,” she said. “They were concerned because they did not have family and lived in a rural area without phone service.”

Romero said she and her husband Troy were able to get to a nearby town to buy groceries, ice, an ice chest and other necessities.

“We were really unsure what their needs might be so we just bought a little bit of everything,” she said.

When they arrived with the supplies, Romero said the elderly couple was greatly surprised and appreciative.

“This couple was in need of some basic necessities, but more importantly in need of a hug, a sweet conversation and to know that

people do care,” she said. “I think this made me aware that most days we don’t think twice about the most precious gifts we have to offer — our time and our love.”

Giving back is something that comes naturally to Romero, as she has been doing it her whole life.

“Whenever you volunteer, it’s not just about you giving to them because you get back so much more,” she said. “When you are at your lowest point, try giving back and you will find it really helps.”

If she had unlimited time and resources, she said she would like to spend more time helping impoverished youth in the community.

“After working for several years in the school system I saw that some kids come to school for a meal or just to find a safe place to rest their heads,” she said. “I would also like to help the elderly who aren’t able to help themselves.”

Romero and her husband Troy live near Iowa and have three sons, Nicholas, 23, and twins Tyler and Trevor, 21.

“My boys are my proudest accomplishment,” she said. “They are hard-working, very respectable, well-grounded young men.”

Ultimately, she says her faith plays a huge role in her life of helping others.

“You are supposed to be the hands and the feet, a living example of His love,” she said.

“That is why I do it. It is what I am supposed to do.”

•

Jones has spent a lifetime caring for the community

By Allison Cryer

I

f you went to school in Jennings, you probably already know Gayle Jones, who taught in the parish for 34 years and now substitutes.

Known as the “pretzel lady” to most of her substitute students, Jones has spent her life helping children.

“I always bring pretzels to reward the children and now when they see me, they always ask me for them or they say, ‘Hello, pretzel lady,’” she said.

After she retired, she took a year off before heading right back into the school system and serving as a Head Sprout aid at James Ward Elementary.

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COMMUNITY 2020

“Volunteering is so much more enjoyable than you think it can be. These are experiences that you will remember forever. It’s inspiring and the way you get paid is inside your heart.”

~ Gayle Jones

“Head Sprout is a computer lab for kindergarteners that can have them reading at a second-grade level,” she said.

Education is her passion and she continues to help the children of the parish through her work with the Jennings Optimist Club, serving as district president from 2018-19. She has also served as district chair for the annual essay contest, oratoracle chair for the district as well as local clubs, district newsletter editor and is the administrator for the local club’s Facebook page.

This spring when the coronavirus crisis hit, the club gathered sidewalk chalk to distribute to children around town. The group also does a mock arrest every Christmas to introduce someone driving through the city on I-10 to Jennings.

In May, the Optimist Club honored first responders and medical personnel with gift certificates and certificates of appreciation.

“We had EMTs who worked double and triple shifts without batting an eye,” she said. “So often they are just ignored as people in the background when they are the people that are there to help. They don’t get a lot of thanks and I feel it is important to honor them.”

Also honored were two nurses from local nursing homes.

“These people get depressed, too, especially having to care of the folks living in nursing homes who are lonely now due to the COVID-19 crisis,” she said.

The head electrician at Jennings American Legion Hospital, a police officer, a firefighter and a sheriff’s deputy in charge of child welfare were also among the honorees.

In addition to serving as luminaria chair for 19 years for Relay for Life, Jones also serves as the first vice president for Jeff Davis Parish Retired Teachers Association.

She has also acted in 10 plays for A Block Off Broadway Community Theatre.

She said one of her proudest accomplishments has been a project that ended up lasting over 25 years at James Ward Elementary — the annual coin drive.

COMMUNITY 2020

“Over the 25 years, we raised over $20,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters,” she said.

“Each class would turn in their money and I would weigh it out, and the class with the most money got a popcorn party. It teaches the students to share with others.”

On any given day, Jones can be found browsing the sale ads and picking up bargains for local meal ministries.

“When I find something on sale, I always buy it,” she said. “I also get a list each month from Caring Hands to find out what their needs are so I can donate.”

Whether it is through her work with the Optimist Club, the coin drive or donating to a worthy cause on Facebook, Jones has proven she is a woman with a giving heart.

“If you call me and say you need something, I am most likely going to be able to help you or find someone who can,” she said. “It’s just in my personality.”

As a young girl growing up in DeRidder, Jones said she recalls her father setting an example that she would live by.

“We lived in the woods and a homeless person had come by and I remember my dad telling us to stay outside so that he could cook the guy a meal,” she said. “That had an impactHB-ADUST-JDN-10.5x7.pdf on me.”

1 4/19/18 8:13 AM She said for those who want to get involved,

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simply find something to do that is fun.

“If it’s fun, you will keep it up,” she said.

“Volunteering is so much more enjoyable than you think it can be. These are experiences that you will remember forever. It’s inspiring and

the way you get paid is inside your heart.”

•

Jones recently attended an Optimist Club conference where the theme was to wear funny hats.

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COMMUNITY 2020

Cox wears many hats in her service to others

By Allison Cryer

W

ith a passion for children and veterans, one local woman is giving back to her community in many ways. Lenor Cox, of Jennings, wears many hats when it comes to helping others.

As a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, she can often be found at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home making sure the residents there have everything they need.

“We serve Coke floats at the veterans home and provide them with watermelons in the summertime. We help with the monthly birthday parties when they need help, and each year I cook a meal for the annual Memorial Day celebration,” she

said. “We also help with the annual fish fry and if there is anything else they need along the way. I’ve really missed it because we haven’t been in there since March due to COVID-19.”

She said despite the restrictions, she still finds a way to help the veterans.

“We have been able to go and drop off things for them,” she said. “For example, when they got to start visiting again all together in the gathering room, I cooked three big pots of crawfish bisque for them. I miss interacting with them though.”

Cox is also an associate member of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

While Cox is not a veteran herself, she has spent a lifetime serving those who sacrificed so much for the American people.

Lenor Cox and her late husband, Ted.

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“It’s healing for me, as well as healing for them.

You couldn’t pay me what this position is doing for me. It’s priceless.”

~ Lenor Cox

“If it wouldn’t be for the veterans and what they sacrificed, we wouldn’t have our freedom today,” she said. “I come from a family of veterans and we have supported them for a long time and hopefully will continue. I was married to a Marine and I’ve always been red, white and blue.”

In addition to helping the veterans at Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home, she also serves a role in helping veterans in the region get to their final resting place.

“I’m currently the director’s assistant at the veterans cemetery,” she said. “This is by far one of the most rewarding positions

Cox recently attended a district conference for Optimists.

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I have ever had. I never envisioned that I would do this. I offered to volunteer to set up the office once it opened and now I love it.”

That position held an even more monumental meaning when her husband, Ted, a Marine, passed away in January.

“My husband was the first person interred in the cemetery,” she said. “So I can relate to all of their needs and emotions and what they are going through. It’s healing for me, as well as healing for them. You couldn’t pay me what this position is doing for me. It’s priceless.”

In addition to arranging services with the funeral homes, she also works with the families of the deceased.

“I just listen to them,” she said. “A lot of times they just want to talk. People don’t realize what veteran families go through.

Until you have walked in their shoes, you just don’t know.”

Cox also serves as club secretary-treasurer of the Jennings Optimist Club.

“When you are dealing with children, there is nothing like the smile of a child,” she said. “You never know what a child might be going through. You never know where the hungry kids are.”

Throughout the year the club participates in various projects aimed at helping children in the city with nutritional, educational and social needs.

“We brought Relay for Life into town in 1998 for 20 years,” she said. “They needed a sponsor to come into a parish so they reached out to us. During that 20 years we did the Relay for Life Golf tournament for 10

At right, Cox presents the Optimist Club scholarship to Skylar Henry of Hathaway.

COMMUNITY 2020

years.”

The club also sponsors the Lake Arthur Mardi Gras Cancer Ball and helps to provide prom dresses to area students through their Cinderella’s Closet program.

The four service clubs, Optimist, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions, are working at the national level to begin collaborating on projects, Cox said.

“We all have different missions and purposes, but we are all here to serve the kids,” she said. “And the kids need what every one of our service clubs do. None

of the projects overlap. If we join together then we can provide them a lot more. We are all in it for the same reason: to better our community and our kids.”

As busy as her volunteer work keeps her, Cox said she still wishes she could do more.

“If I had unlimited resources I would help the children in need. There are so many kids in this town that don’t have the food, don’t have the clothes and don’t have the medical attention that they need,” she said. “Next I would go to help the veterans. There are so many veterans who, in the heat of summer, are sitting outside because they can’t even afford a fan.”

Cox gives advice to others wanting to get involved in their communities.

“Volunteering takes a little bit of your time and energy, but the payback is so much greater than what you put out,” she said. “In dealing with the veterans and their families, just to see the comfort in their eyes is rewarding.”

She said a little help goes a long way.

“I consider myself a full-time volunteer, but that is because I choose to donate so much time and energy to this. To be a worthwhile volunteer, if you could give an hour or two a month, it’s needed and appreciated. We all have the same amount of time in a day. It’s a matter of prioritization and I’ve learned that it’s in giving back that we receive.”

•

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17

Local woman volunteers to meet nutritional needs of area residents

By Allison Cryer

O

ne local woman and her crew of volunteers are making a huge difference helping to fill nutritional needs in the parish.

Director Vicky Rushing of Jennings and her team started God’s Pantry in March of this year.

“I was injured years ago and I had to move in with my mother,” she said. “We went out to try and find food, but because I was not a senior and

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had no children, I was denied and no one would help me. That is a scary feeling.”

She saw a need and decided to fill it here in her own community.

“I contacted Second Harvest, who provides us with the food for God’s Pantry,” she said. “I started volunteering with them and then God placed this building in our hands and supporters started coming out of the woodworks. We have just been blessed.”

According to Jackie LaCombe, who nominated Rushing for this publication, the hardworking director of God’s Pantry maintains mostly on donations and volunteers.

“She doesn’t get paid — she donates all her time,” Lacombe said. “She is a very compassionate person and understands the hard times people are going through. Her pantry is a drive through and the volunteers load your car up, you don’t even have to get down.”

Assistant Director Penny Cantrelle said the pantry has been officially up and running since June.

“I love helping people; it’s a good distraction for me during the pandemic,” Cantrelle said. “I have four kids at home I can’t just go out and volunteer with the

Page 17: Director Vicky Rushing organizes deliveries for distribution.

Above: God’s Pantry receives food from Second Harvest Food Bank.

Right: Volunteers at God’s Pantry have been helping to fill the nutritional needs of area residents since June.

Cajun Navy. This is the first time I felt I could make a real difference.”

The food is not just for Jeff Davis Parish residents, as Rushing said she is not in the business of turning anyone away.

“We have refugees and displaced citizens from other areas who are staying here with relatives,” she said.

With so many displaced residents in Jeff Davis Parish after Hurricane Laura, Cantrelle said the nutritional needs in the parish have grown.

“When a family of three goes to nine overnight they are going to have trouble feeding everyone,” Cantrelle said.

Despite the many challenges she has

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faced, Rushing said that God has a way of working things out just in the nick of time.

“This Saturday we thought we were only going to have seven volunteers to run pantry and before we knew it we had over 20 volunteers show up to help,” she said. “God has a way of making thing happen for us.”

The need in Jeff Davis Parish is so substantial, Rushing said people are often waiting as early as 5:30 a.m. to receive groceries and other supplies when the pantry doesn’t start until 10 a.m. The days of the week depend on when the truckloads of supplies are delivered.

“We usually post Facebook live videos when we are ready to run pantry so everyone

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should follow us on Facebook at God’s Pantry,” she said.

The group has served the parish thousands of pounds of food since they started in June, much of that in the last few weeks in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

“We just want to bless the people,” Rushing said. “That is why we do what we do.”

At first Rushing thought she would be devoting two days or so a week to the project, which has taken off considerably.

“We have gone the last 30 days without a day off,” she said.

Anyone wanting to volunteer can simply show up to help that day.

“Volunteers are needed for office work, the greeter position, general duties, as well as to deliver to our over 100 shut-ins,” she said.

The pantry is located at 15358 La. 26 in Jennings next to the Budget Inn.

• God’s Pantry can be reached at godspantry20@gmail.com

Rushing and Assistant Director Penny Cantrelle (left) organize breads.

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COMMUNITY 2020

Broussard goes from reporter to part of JDSO

By Sheila Smith

F

or Aubrey Broussard, each road has led to another, including one that introduced her to the world of first responders and law enforcement. Now she is part of that world as a support personnel, working as the secretary to Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff Ivy Woods.

In the summer of 2014, a job search brought her to Jennings Daily News where she was hired as a staff writer. It so happened that she was often called upon to write stories about law, order and safety by working with firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement officers (LEOs).

“I’d never really had experience in being around first responders before,” she said. “I

was accustomed to being around people in the oilfield and farm industry because of where I was raised. But through interviews and experiences I had working at the newspaper, I guess you can say I fell in love with the first responders’ world.”

Broussard, 46, said maybe the appeal was to her strong sense of justice. But she is also a helper by nature, and finds a kinship with those who are like her.

“Now, don’t get me wrong,” she laughed. “I can’t do what firefighters, LEOs and EMTs do. I want to make it clear that I’m not on the streets or on scene during emergencies.”

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“I began to understand why certain things were necessary, things the general public might not have understood.”

~ Aubrey Broussard

and sheriff’s departments. She once rappelled down the side of a two-story building with Jennings Fire Department. She volunteered to be Tased with deputies who were undergoing recertification.

“Everyone thinks getting Tased is like having a big shock to your body,” she said. “It’s not.

It’s like a muscle cramp all over your body. You stiffen up and drop to the ground.”

The point of experiencing a Taser is so that deputies understand exactly what happens to a person when the weapon is used, she said.

“It’s the same with pepper spray,” she added. “No, I didn’t volunteer to have that done to me when I was at the newspaper. However, I did have that done when I was undergoing certification to be able to carry a weapon when I joined the sheriff’s office.

Let’s just say I never want to experience that again.”

The media and law enforcement have a tough relationship. More often than not, the negative actions of some in law enforcement overshadow the positive, and the negative is more often spotlighted in the press. As Broussard got to know people behind the badge, she felt the negative reputation was unfair.

“I began to understand why certain things were necessary, things the general public might

not have understood,” she said.

For example, she said, it’s not uncommon to hear or read a complaint in which a person criticizes having multiple units at what appears to be a simple traffic stop.

“But every time a cop makes a traffic stop, they have no idea who is in that car, if they have weapons, if they just committed a crime, if they have nothing to lose — they don’t know what they are walking in to,” Broussard said. “The person in the car could be acting suspicious, or maybe there are enough people in that car to overpower one deputy. Until you do a ride-along, answer a 911 call, hear the concerns LEOs deal with, you can’t understand what it’s like to be in their shoes.”

Through opinions pieces on the editorial page and when she could highlight positive work in a news story, Broussard was able to publicly defend first responders. Now that she is part of that team, it’s not so easy.

“LEOs don’t really defend themselves against public opinions; you take it on the chin even if you don’t deserve it,” she said. “When I was a reporter, I could say what they couldn’t say.

I’m still very protective of them.

I think I’m even more protective now because I’m more behind the scenes. It breaks my heart when I see law enforcement as a whole attacked so viciously

when they bend over backwards to serve and protect.”

She said the small number of LEOs who abuse their power are infuriating to those who do their jobs well.

“When someone messes up phenomenally, all we can do is shake our heads because we

know how that makes anyone in law enforcement look,” she said.

“But the truly good guys don’t condone those actions or make excuses for them.”

Working as a reporter and now working side by side with LEOs, she sees how the job can take a toll on those working the streets.

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“I think about the jailers especially, who are dealing with people who are in some of their worst moments, including some people that genuinely need help,” she said. “I feel like they don’t get enough credit for their jobs.”

She talked about the detectives who are up close and personal with tragic cases and patrolmen who are on the roads, never knowing what they will encounter. She discussed those in the civil department who serve legal papers to strangers, never knowing how that person will react to what is being delivered.

“Our dispatchers are our first line of defense in an emergency, and help send first responders to a situation, while simultaneously obtaining information from an emotionally compromised callers,” she said. “Our DARE and School Resource Officers work in schools and encounter children who might be having difficulties at home. Our Elderly Affairs Deputy ensures our parish senior citizens are protected.

Members of our transport division play an important role in providing safety and security for everything from moving inmates to leading funerals.

“Even people in the office, you worry about them,” she said. “What if someone who hates LEOs walks in and wants to take out their frustration on them? I feel that at every level in a law enforcement agency, there are risks and difficulties.

Each employee is facing society’s conflicts in a different way.”

In her mind, however, no

matter the division to which an employee belongs, the employee is working to help someone or fix a problem as best as they can.

“Then again, you have to accept that some people don’t want help,” Broussard added.

So with all that said, how did she get the job as the sheriff’s secretary?

“I worked so closely with members of the agency professionally through the newspaper that I began to see them as friends, and I saw their team as a team I wanted to be part of,” she said. “I didn’t really try to get a particular job. I went to Chief Deputy Chris Ivey one day and asked, ‘Can you see a place for me here?’”

“You want to work patrol or in the jail?” he asked.

She did not, Broussard laughed. Instead, she cited the experiences she had gained from working for five years with the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, time spent studying accounting at SOWELA and her nearly four years with Jennings Daily News.

Ivey consulted the sheriff and the rest was history.

“I did anything I could put my hands on at first, including getting Tased again,” Broussard laughed. “Here I am two and a half years later, still learning new stuff. One thing I love about Sheriff Woods is that he allows and encourages support personnel to cross-train as often as we can.”

And while she no longer advocates for law enforcement through journalism, the

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enthusiasm she has for her fellow coworkers is perhaps stronger today than it was when she first developed admiration for the thin blue line.

“I used to say I was their unofficial cheerleader,” Broussard said. “Now I’m their official cheerleader.”

•

“I used to say I was their unofficial cheerleader. Now I’m their official cheerleader.”

~ Aubrey Broussard

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Superintendent devotes over three decades to education

By Sheila Smith

B

y the time he graduated from Sulphur High School, Kirk Credeur had attended over 16 schools, moving an estimated 20 times due to his father’s work. In that time, he encountered many teachers, some who inspired him and challenged him to go above and beyond.

Credeur wanted to be an inspirational teacher, too, but he wanted to inspire a particular group of students — those receiving special education. He has done just that and more in a career that has spanned over three decades, a career that now finds him as the superintendent of Jeff Davis Parish schools.

“When I was graduating, the laws were just changing regarding special education, and more and more special needs children were being brought into regular programming,” he said. “As a person who had special needs individuals in my family, I saw there was a need for more inclusion and better education. One thing I wanted to do was provide better education for all students, but I really felt my mission was to work with children with special needs.”

Credeur was a student at a time when individuals with special needs were separated from other students, or their education was only allowed to go so far if a program was not successful. He believed those students deserved much better.

“One thing I wanted to do was provide better education for all students, but I really felt my mission was to work with children with special needs.” ~ Kirk Credeur

“I think everyone has value, and that everybody on this earth can bring something to the table,” he said. “I think part of that way of thinking is because of some of the great teachers I was fortunate to have in school. They were teachers that basically said, ‘I’ve seen what you can really do and I won’t accept anything less than your best.’”

However, when he entered McNeese State University, he was actually studying accounting and finance for the first year.

“One day I asked myself, ‘Why am I still in this?!’” he recalled. “It’s not what I wanted to do. At the time there was no major in special education, so I majored in elementary education with a minor in special education.”

After another four years of study, he began his teaching career in 1982 as a special

Superintendent of Schools Kirk Credeur

education teacher at Lacassine High School.

“I still vividly remember being dropped off at my classroom with materials and that was it,” he said. “I was just expected to start teaching. There was no direction on what our overall goal was or how to accomplish that.”

Guidance is necessary for all young teachers, he said.

“Now we have so many support systems, training opportunities, resources and online links for our teachers,” he said.

“Plus educators are meeting in professional learning communities to discuss curriculum and how to bring that material to students.

Success in the classroom is what happens when young teachers can learn from experienced ones.”

Soon Credeur received an opportunity to move into Pupil Appraisal Services, where he evaluated students to determine if they needed or qualified for special services. He enjoyed being able to visit different schools, meet with parents about their children’s

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education then going back to a team setting to determine what avenue best fit an individual student.

After approximately 12 years, he decided he wanted to impact a school on an administrative level. He spent three years at Prien Lake Elementary as an assistant principal until he was approached by Calcasieu Parish School Board members to serve as principal of a Sulphur school, where he remained for six years. From there he spent a year serving as the Special Education Supervisor in Calcasieu Parish.

One year later, he accepted the same position in Jeff Davis Parish, working in that capacity for nearly eight years.

He worked his way up to Assistant Superintendent and today serves in the top spot.

But he does miss the classroom at times.

“The elementary kids love you,” he laughed. “Plus, my kids were young at the time that I was working in elementary schools, so I was enjoying that time in my life. I still think it’s fun to visit the different schools and see how the younger students are enjoying the classroom. I just enjoy a school environment.”

He added that as his career advanced, how he viewed the educational system changed.

“When you first start teaching, you’re in this bubble where seasoned teachers and administrators sort of protect

you, and your focus is on the beauty of teaching,” he said.

“As you move up the ladder in the educational system, you have to see things through different lenses at different levels. It becomes very much like a business. However, this is an incredibly necessary part of what happens in order to make school systems operate.”

And there are misconceptions of what it means to be a superintendent.

“I think many people believe the superintendent makes a decision and everyone follows suit,” he said. “There are certain areas where I am responsible to make decisions, such as in personnel and academic matters, but the Jeff Davis Parish School Board as a whole is my boss. If the members have enough votes to go in a particular direction, that’s the same as my boss giving me a directive on what to do.”

He loves his job but admits there can be tough times.

“Sometimes being in education or involved in the system can be frustrating,” he said. “If you look at what we have done in the last few years, we’ve got the budget under control, we’re building two new schools, we have the number one graduation rate in the state, probably the number four preschool score in the state and are number 14 overall in school performance scores. Sometimes it feels like that hard work is overlooked when one mistake is made, and we work hard to

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correct our mistakes. From an academic side, things are better than they have ever been in Jeff Davis Parish.”

So what exactly sets Jeff Davis apart from other districts?

“The community members are still highly involved and want their children to be successful,” Credeur said. “That helps us as educators, to get such support from parents. We have a conservative board and a conservative community that work well together. I think in this parish, we have a tradition of performing well, and that tradition continues. There are a lot of little factors that go into this parish’s success. A lot of good people have given their sweat and tears to this district.”

What does he hope his legacy will be in the history of Jeff Davis Parish schools?

“I definitely want to leave the district in better shape than I found it, and I found it in great shape,” he said. “I want to

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look back years from now and say some decisions we made ensured our district would be strong in all aspects.”

But one should not expect him to throw in the towel any time soon. He still feels a responsibility, he said, to answer the calling that began when he was just a teenager.

“One day I’ll have to retire, but if you ask me what I’ll do after that, I still feel pulled back to the classroom,” he said.

He began to laugh and added, “It’s funny. When you get to the point where you actually know a few things, that’s when you retire.”

Credeur, 61, has been married for 38 years. He and his wife have a son who is the regional director of nursing for a group of nursing homes in Houston, Texas, and their daughter is in her final year of education at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.

•

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Relief effort assists Lake Arthur family

By Stacey Fontenot

G

enerous volunteers from across the nation poured into Southwest Louisiana following Hurricane Laura to assist in storm recovery efforts. Kindness, compassion and the willingness to help others are rebuilding shattered lives, one day at time.

A Lake Arthur family was recently assisted by a group of unique relief workers, ensuring their way of life will continue for generations to come.

“For the past 16 years, when Damian and Amy Broussard of Lake Arthur woke up and looked out their window, they saw the barn that has provided shelter from the elements to the goats Damian’s father raises,” said group administrator Cynthia Nichols Mhor.

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“However, that view was drastically changed when three generations of the Broussard family watched Hurricane Laura blow through the family farm, stealing away parts of the goat barn and dropping trees on what was left behind. Little did they know, help would soon be on the way.”

According to Cynthia, Real Men Wear Kilts (RMWK) is a 9,000-plus member Facebook group who share an interest in Celtic heritage, tradition and a love for wearing kilts.

When the hurricane hit, group administrator Raymond Mohr, of Conroe, Texas, and other group leaders organized a repair and rebuild team. After hearing the news that a member’s family could use a hand, fundraising efforts were underway to cover expenses for travel and construction materials.

“They saw a kilted brother in need,” Cynthia said. “With group members donating finances to fund the needed repairs, the team embarked on a journey to Lake Arthur with the intent to rebuild the barn for the homeless goats.”

Along with the Mohr’s, Andrew and Sara Lyon of Fort Worth, Texas, and Dan Fucella of Clarksville, Tenn. headed here to help with tools, food, hand sanitizer and other donations in tow.

“Many people in our area are familiar with the Broussard family who have lived in Lake Arthur for over 150 years. The

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“We don them to show we’re proud of our individual heritage and military service. We do it for fun but mostly, we don them to show support and encouragement to our fellow ‘kelties’ as a symbol of friendship and unity.” ~ Raymond Mohr Page 26: RMWK members Raymond Mohr, Cynthia Nichols Mohr, Andrew and Sara Lyon and Dan Fucella came to the aid of the Broussard family following Hurricane Laura.

Right: The group also donated money, along with 20 gallons of hand sanitizer, to Lake Arthur Meal Ministry. family includes Earl, who is recovering from heart issues, his wife Kathy and couple Damian and Amy along with their children, Jenna and Layton, not to mention all the goats, horses, donkeys, cats, ducks and livestock they raise,” said Cynthia. “Damian is a local family nurse practitioner and Amy is a program director of surgical technology at a local community college.

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COMMUNITY 2020

many people don’t know is that Damian is a member of RMWK. He serves as a key moderator, helping it grow to become a fun, encouraging, knowledgeable and friendly online group.”

When asked why the RMWK group wear the Celtic kilts, Raymond explained that it is their fun and unique way of honoring their history. The kilt patterns are based on family, clan or military heritage.

“We don them to show we’re proud of our individual heritage and military service,” he said. “We do it for fun but mostly, we don them to show support and encouragement to our fellow ‘kelties’ as a symbol of friendship and unity.”

Once the rebuild team gathered at the Broussard’s property, work to repair the damage began.

“If you have ever seen a group of kilted men working on a construction site, it is certainly a site to behold,” Cynthia said.

“They forego the work pants and jeans to kilt up and work, as they say, unencumbered.”

Thanks to a kilted Facebook group stepping up to show such unity to a member in need, the barn has been repaired.

“It was such a special time with our group. We had not met each other in person, only online,” said Cynthia. “This was also our first time raising money to help a fellow kilter. Our members were very generous. Being our initial project of this kind, it could not have been any better.”

Because the group exceeded their financial goal to help the Broussard family, a local non-profit group benefitted as well.

“A substantial donation, along with 20 gallons of hand sanitizer, was made to Lisa Richard of the Lake Arthur Meal Ministry,” said Cynthia. “Who says nothing good comes from Facebook? Certainly not the Broussard family, the Lake Arthur Meal Ministry or the RMWK members!”

Cynthia said RMWK plans to continue similar efforts as members have needs, taking their group from strictly being on Facebook, to being personalized and inperson, with a relief-type effort for others to accomplish.

For more information, check out www. realmenwearkilts.com or visit the Real Men Wear Kilts Facebook page.

• Left: Volunteer Raymond Mohr (top) and Damian Broussard (left) repair a barn damaged during Hurricane Laura.

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Postal carrier comes to aid of elderly couple Charles Drake

P

ostal carriers often travel the same route delivering mail each day. This year while performing his normal routine, one carrier happened upon an unexpected situation.

“I was putting mail into a box on Norwood Drive,” said carrier Charles Drake. “That’s when I could hear screams for help coming from the home.”

Surprised by what he heard, Drake said he initially assumed the worst.

“The elderly husband was standing at the front door, calling for me not to leave, to please help him,” he recalls.

“Knowing the kind couple, I went to see what was wrong.”

The gentleman’s wife had fallen in the tub. Drake said she couldn’t get up and the husband had already attempted to help her out but was unsuccessful.

“I announced myself as I approached the bathroom,” he said. “She just wanted me to help her out of the tub.”

He said he was able to sit her upright and called 911 to assist.

“Acadian Ambulance responded and they were safely

By Stacey Fontenot

able to get her out of the tub,” said Drake. “She ended up being just fine, but had I not heard the call for help, I don’t know how long she would have been caught there before someone came to check on them.”

He said it could have been much worse.

“She could have had a concussion or hit her head and been unconscious,” said Drake.

“Luckily that wasn’t the case.”

Having been delivering mail for 34 years, Drake said he has made many friends over the years.

“These are really nice people who I have become good friends with,” he said. “I’ve known them since I first started delivering mail. They always had a smile and kind words to share.”

Although Drake said he did not need any special recognition, his supervisor, Nikki Suire, said he should be commended for going above and beyond his daily duties to help someone in need.

“I was just doing my job. We all help each other whenever we can,” said Drake. “We are

all going to get old one day. I have an elderly mother and I would hope someone would do

the same to help her, too.”

•

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Fake a fixture in Jennings’ art and theater scene

f you have ever attended a festival in the city or an event at the Strand Theater, you have likely seen Lin Fake there, too.

You could call him a fixture in Jennings’ art and theater scene.

“Art has always been a big part of my life,” he said. “I was always involved in

theater and band in high school, and I took art classes with Dottie Modlish. But I didn’t start getting involved with city events until 1993.”

In 1992, the John Sayles film “Passion Fish” was filmed in Lake Arthur. Soon plans were made to host a Hollywood-style premiere at the Strand Theatre in Jennings the next year.

Fake was already helping decorate Christmas trees at the original Zigler Art Museum on Clara Street when then-director Delores Spears asked for help with a movie meet and greet that was to be held at the museum.

The city had purchased the Strand and

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was remodeling it in time for the premiere.

“My first time in the Strand after the remodel was the night of the premiere,” Fake said. “I worked concession for the show, then I went to the museum after to help with a gathering there.”

Fake said he remembers what the Strand looked like prior to its revival, calling the change unbelievable.

“I think the project had maybe six weeks, not even, to be completed,” he recalled.

The revamping of the theatre sparked a desire for more arts in the city.

“Once the Strand was redone, people kept saying that we needed a little theatre,”

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“Truthfully, right now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I just love this job. I love working in the Tupper building and I love bringing festivals to the city ... I’m excited about what we’re working toward. I love Jennings history.” ~ Lin Fake

he added. “The city appointed me to the Jeff Davis Arts Council and we decided we were going to form what would become A Block Off Broadway (ABOB).”

June 4, 1993, the arts council released information asking people if they wanted theatre to be a part of the Jennings community.

By June 11, auditions for ABOB’s first play, “You Can’t Take It With You,” were underway.

“We didn’t even have a stage when auditions were held,” Fake recalled. “It wasn’t until the next month that a bank donated money to have a stage built. We had no lighting to speak of, but by September, we had our first show.”

“Every seat in the Strand sold out for that show,” he said while eyeing the “wall of fame” in the Tupper Museum that includes cast pictures from every ABOB show that has premiered. “That was a big deal, bringing something like that to a small community.”

From there he found himself helping at festivals. His first event was Stars and Stripes in July then Jennings Alive that October.

“And I have not missed a festival since that July,” he added.

Throughout his years of volunteering with the city, Fake also worked at the Jeff Davis Parish School System’s media center before retiring in 2016. The next year, he was tapped by Mayor Henry Guinn to become the new city project coordinator, overseeing the planning of Jennings events.

Fake helps decorate at Tupper Museum’s annual Hall of Trees.

One of his first goals along with the Tupper staff was to bring the museum back to a pristine condition, as well as repairing electronic exhibits that had not worked in years. On top of this, he and the staff are currently working to revamp part of the Telephone Pioneers Museum to include extensive history of the city. The displays will spotlight the oil industry, Jennings’ homes and founding families, Jennings High memorabilia, ABOB productions and more.

“Truthfully, right now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said. “I just love this job. I love working in the Tupper building and I love bringing festivals to the city. I still have so much love for the Strand, but my focus is now on the Tupper Museum and the Jennings Festivals so management is now being handled by someone else.”

Still, he said, he is usually at the theater as a volunteer every time its doors are opened.

For him, introducing the past to the present is important for the city and its people.

“I’m excited about what we’re working toward,” he said. “I love Jennings history.”

Through the Tupper, the city can teach school children and visitors not only about Jennings history, but American history.

“Throughout the year, especially in the summer we attract a lot of visitors from Canada and France that love the museum,” he said. “It’s Americana that is frozen in time. Sometimes those visitors will spend two hours just in the Tupper store area alone.”

•

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