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Friday, April 25, 2025

A Sister’s Life-Saving Gift

C2 AMERICAN PRESS FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025

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Sporting events fueling SW La. economy And it’s only going to get bigger, says Visit Lake Charles’ Eric Zartler

By Rodrick Anderson American Press

Over the last few decades, Southwest Louisiana has become a destination for sports events and shows no signs of slowing down.

According to Eric Zartler, the executive director of Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority and senior vice president of sports for Visit Lake Charles, the area hosts 75-90 sporting events a year.

He estimates the economic impact on the area is nearly $40 million a year.

“When you bring in the Jennie Finch World Series, USSSA, Perfect Game, high school tournaments, showcase events, high school swimming and all the various basketball and baseball tournaments each year, it adds up pretty quick,” Zartler said. “We have made a commitment to bringing in major events that really push the needle and bring people into the area to spend their money here instead of elsewhere.”

Some of those events have already made a huge impact this year. According to a Visit Lake Charles, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association boys’ basketball state championships at Burton Coliseum in March drew more than 22,000 visitors, and its economic impact grew 85 percent to $5 million. It even brought some national exposure when Vinton’s Keithan Rigmaiden’s last-second shot that sent the Vinton Lions to the Non-select Division IV state championship game made SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays that day.

Also, in March, the South-

Kirk Meche / Special to the American Press

Eric Zartler, executive director of the Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority, said the Southland Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament brought national exposure to the area and created an economic impact of $2.4 million. land Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament brought more national exposure to the area, with 13,743 attendees, and saw its economic impact grow from $800,000 last year to $2.4 million.

Other recent events such as the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Golf Tour stop at L’Auberge and the American Junior Golf Association tournament at Mallard Golf Club combined to bring more than $2 million to the area.

Zartler said the events help local hotels immensely with nearly 40,000 room nights per year.

That number doesn’t include campsites and AirBNBs, which can boost the amount to 50,000 room nights.

“That is tremendous to be able to bring that all in for sports. It is also bringing in people’s families, enjoying our food, shopping and culture and everything we have to offer. It is awesome to see Southwest Louisiana through

the visitors’ eyes. They come here for a baseball game and come back bragging about the food or find something really cool to bring back from Southwest Louisiana.”

Several major factors play into Southwest Louisiana’s favor to allow it many sports events despite not being one of the larger metropolitan areas, according to Zartler.

“Our hospitality is second to none,” Zartler said. “The sky is the limit. “A lot of it has to do with the investments

the area has made into their facilities. Up until 2018, there were no turf baseball fields on the east side of the (Calcasieu) River, and now there are nine.

Sulphur put us on the map in the softball and baseball world. We are looking to make it bigger.

“When teams come in from Houston, Corpus Christi, Baton Rouge or New Orleans, they want to go to the place that has the best opportunity

See SPORTING, C19

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C3

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CLOSE UP With You founder Allen Cormier speaks to members of the Kiwanis Club Lake Charles.

Cormier said With You provides a community where first responders are free from the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues while providing support for counseling, physical and mental therapies, and other holistic treatments.

Crystal Stevenson American Press

Responding to first responders Nonprofit With You supports first responders through mental health, stress crisis

By Crystal Stevenson American Press

First responders dedicate their lives to protecting their communities. Their work is intense, unpredictable and regularly exposes them to high-stress environments.

With You is built on the shoulders of these first responders, providing a community where they are free from the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues while

providing support for counseling, physical and mental therapies and other holistic treatments.

Founder Allen Cormier knows the psychological toll these workers are experiencing because he’s battling it himself.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Cormier enlisted in the Marine Corps, seeking to make a positive impact on the world. After serving, he

returned to Lake Charles and built a distinguished career in law enforcement, accumulating more than a decade of valuable experience.

Cormier said as part of combat training, Marines are taught to “suck it up and suffer in silence.”

“You’re taught from day one to put up with the situation and go,” he said. “That carried over into my first responder career where I just

showed up, did my job, shut my mouth, didn’t complain and if there was a problem I was the problem-solver.”

That’s not sustainable — something he discovered five years ago when the eye of Hurricane Laura was hovering over Southwest Louisiana.

When the storm hit, Cormier — who was then in his eighth year working with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office — was stationed with about 600

inmates at Phelps Correctional Center in DeQuincy.

“There was me and about seven other guys with about 300 of the inmates in an old building we called the garment room,” he said. “It was built in the 1950s, made of cinder blocks and had plexiglass windows.”

Surrounded by 300 emotional men, things started to get “kinda rowdy,” he said.

See WITH YOU, C5

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WITH YOU

‘We don’t talk about it, though we all share the same experiences.

Shifts go to the same calls together, we see all kinds of crazy stuff together, but we don’t talk about what it does to us.’

Continued from C4

Fear is kicking in for all of us.”

Cormier said as he stood there, considering how the situation could unfold, he couldn’t help but think about “the last bullet” concept he was taught in the Marines.

“You keep the last bullet for yourself if you’re in combat because you know the last thing you want to do is become a prisoner of war,” he said.

“The idea is you fight until you have one bullet left. The last one’s for you.

I wasn’t suicidal, but the thought process of what could go wrong was in my head.”

In the weeks following the storm’s passing, Cormier said his body reacted to the stress with a myriad of health issues — including a panic attack.

“It happened at work. I’m sitting in my office, lights off, our medical staff is right across the hallway and I refused to get up and go ask for help,” he said. “Just for some reason, I was so tired, so exhausted and I figured I was worth more dead and if I have a heart attack they’ll come find me in a couple of hours. Life insurance will pay out and my wife and kids will be taken care of.

“That day changed the rest of my life,” he said. “I told my wife about what had happened at Phelps, what I was feeling and she was like, ‘Look, I can’t do this anymore. Either you get some help or we’re going to have to have some serious conversations. I know you’re not the same.’ ” He agreed to go to physical therapy and mental health counseling; however, in his search for a counselor who specialized in helping first responders, he came up empty.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C5

Allen Cormier Founder of With You, on fellow first responders tending to bottle up their emotions

“If I was a rape victim, there were plenty of counselors; if I had family issues, there were plenty of counselors; if I was a vet, there’s plenty of combat experience counselors. But looking for a first responder counselor in the area was just not existent.”

He ultimately met with a local counselor who told him she had never dealt with first responders before but if he “showed her grace, she would show him grace.”

“Our first conversation was, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to tell you because I’m not comfortable in this environment. Here’s my gun, here’s my badge, if I feel you’re going to try to take this from me, I’m out the door.

I’d rather go suffer in silence, pay my bills, take care of my family than talk about issues that aren’t going to go anywhere.’ She looked at me and said, ‘I’m not going to take your job from you. I have an idea of what you’re going through — long-term pain and identity. The injury might be gone but

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the connections between your nerves and your brain are still there.’ ” Cormier said his connection to his badge and his gun, who he is as a Marine and as a deputy are part of his identity. As he continues his own recovery journey, Cormier said he’s noticing many of his peers feel the same and are struggling, too.

“We don’t talk about it, though we all share the same experiences,” he said. “Shifts go to the same calls together, we see all kinds of crazy stuff together but we don’t talk about what it does to us.”

That was when With You was formed.

“One of my buddies shared with me what had happened to him just back to back to back,” he said. “This is a guy I’ve known through his whole career in law enforcement, who I talk to on a regular basis, and I never noticed that he was struggling. That night, we came up with the realization that if I need help, he needs help, who else in our

group needs help?”

Cormier said his goal is to break the stigma of “just shut up and take it.”

“We’re having real conversations about what’s going on behind the scenes and if we’re not mentally prepared and focused we can’t provide the best service for the public,” he said. “If we’re not the best versions of ourselves, we don’t get to go home and be the best versions of ourselves to our families.”

Cormier said With You focuses on mental, physical and spiritual well-being. “We cover the whole person,” he said.

He said the nonprofit has built a network of counselors willing to help first responders and a peer support group that is certified in cognitive behavior therapy.

“Actors put on costumes and they become a character. Well, first responders put on their costume, their uniform, and they tend to become who they need to be in order to survive the shift,” Cormier said. “The problem is when they go home each day, it gets harder and harder to put down that emotional role when you take that uniform off.”

Cormier said With You is providing the help first responders need to become “a better person, which brings better success to their departments, which provides better support for civilians and stone by stone it’s a better environment for us to work in and for the community to grow up in.”

First responders are the backbone of safety for our community, and failing that mission is not an option, Cormier said. l

For more information on With You, visit their Facebook page at WithYouSWLA.

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IN THE NEWS People shaping the future of Lake Area business Galan named to board of directors First Federal Bank of Louisiana is pleased to welcome Alberto C. Galan to its board of directors. A seasoned public administrator with expertise in government Galan operations, strategic planning, and community development, Galan’s leadership will help guide the bank’s continued growth.

Galan serves as director of parish operations for the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, overseeing policy implementation, intergovernmental relations, and major projects, including long-term disaster recovery.

A graduate of Southern University Law Center and LSU, Galan is a Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Southwest alumnus, a former Fusion Five board member, and an active leader in regional development initiatives.

Fowlkes joins local law firm Todd Clemons and Associates welcomes attorney Samuel Fowlkes to the firm.

He is a graduate of Southern University Law Center, and he previously completed a summer internship with the firm during his studies.

Fowlkes joins attorneys

Todd S. Clemons and Micah O. Clemons.

Growing up in Lake Charles, Fowlkes attended Barbe High Fowlkes School and McNeese State University. After his freshman year, he transferred and later received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University.

Fowlkes is driven by helping others. He said he hopes to use his new position to affect positive change in the community that helped shape him into the person he is today.

Thornhill does an excellent job in the classroom, blending theory with real-world applications.

In addition, many of her students enjoy her classes and feel comfortable seeking her out for help outside of the classroom. She consistently teaches an overload of courses while taking Ph.D. courses in economics and participating on several college committees.

Thornhill joined Sowela nearly two years ago. Before that, she was a Calcasieu Parish School Board business teacher.

Thornhill presented Teacher of Year award

SULPHUR — The Health and Safety Council Louisiana is pleased to welcome Tyler Traweek, MBA, MS, CSP, as the regional director of operations – East LouisiTraweek ana. Traweek brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in health, safety, and environmental leadership across diverse industrial sectors. He will manage operations in HASC Louisiana’s new office in Gonzales, where he will lead efforts to enhance safety training, strengthen industry partnerships, and drive operational excellence in the region.

Sowela Technical Community College Business Instructor Linda Thornhill was recently honored at the Louisiana Business Educators annual conference, where Thornhill she was named Postsecondary Teacher of the Year.

Thornhill was nominated for her work ethic and dedication to the Sowela School of Business and Applied Technology. She continuously seeks new ways to enhance and align the curriculum with the modern workplace.

Traweek named regional director

Most recently, he served as the HSE Director at Conco Services LLC, where he was instrumental in harmonizing policies across multiple entities, implementing ISO 45001-compliant systems, and achieving prestigious safety awards including accolades from the Gulf Coast Safety Council and Industry Business Roundtable. Under his leadership, Conco Services LLC achieved over five years with more than two million manhours worked without recordable incidents.

An Army veteran and distinguished honor graduate, Traweek holds advanced degrees in occupational safety & health and project management, along with professional certifications, including Certified Safety Professional and Certified Associate in Project Management. Recognized as a “Rising Star in Safety” by the National Safety Council in 2022, he is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in safety programs.

Traweek is a member of the Executive Board of the Greater Baton Rouge ASSP.

Visit Lake Charles recognized NEW YORK — Visit Lake Charles was honored at the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Adrian Awards Celebration, receiving two awards for excellence in marketing. HS-

MAI is a global organization dedicated to advancing the sales, marketing and revenue optimization disciplines in the hospitality industry.

The “As Much Joy As You Can Pack In” campaign received a Bronze Adrian Award for the second consecutive year. The campaign showcases the endless excitement and fun that makes Lake Charles the ideal destination for adventurers, families and leisure travelers alike.

The campaign played a key role in driving tourism growth and supporting Visit Lake Charles’ goals of increasing overnight stays and visitor spending. During the 2023-2024 shoulder season — the period between a destination’s peak season and off-season — Southwest Louisiana experienced a 15% year-over-year increase in average visitor spend, a 23% rise in restaurant spending, 14% growth in retail spending, and a 57% boost in accommodations spend.

Visit Lake Charles’ Tripscout campaign was also recognized for its exceptional performance, winning a Bronze Adrian Award. The campaign reached millions of potential visitors by leveraging influencer partnerships and targeted email marketing, sharing the region’s attractions and cultural richness with key markets.

The Tripscout campaign, See NAMES, C14

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C7

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&

Vallery gives students the tools, instruction, support they need

By Emily Burleigh American Press

This might be Ashley Vallery’s first year as an educator, but she has been a teacher for much of her life.

She attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and Washington-Marion High School.

She recalled being an athletic “OK student” who maintained good grades to keep participating in sports.

“I knew I couldn’t bring anything home less than a ‘B,’ so there were some late nights and early mornings for me as a child to make sure schoolwork was completed.”

In high school, she had a coach who was “young by determination” and motivated her to give it her all.

“Those experiences definitely resurfaced when I started this journey and how I could be as an educator,” she said. “However, I never actually thought about being an educator until I went back to school as an adult.”

She went to college at Louisiana State University at Eunice and McNeese State University, eventually earning a degree in general studies with a concentration in behavioral sciences.

Vallery decided to go back to school to finish her degree to be an example to her own children.

“I wanted to be a role model and show that you are never

TOP PICK

Ashley Vallery was voted The American Press & Don’s Car Wash Teacher of the Year during a two-week online vote of teacher profiles featured this school year for our weekly Teacher of the Week stories.

Emily Burleigh / American Press

Ashley Vallery — who teaches third grade special education at Western Heights Elementary in Westlake — is the American Press and Don’s Car Wash Teacher of the Year. She is pictured with her classroom’s paraprofessionals, Mrs. Sittig and Mrs. Valdez. too old or too late to have dreams and goals.”

During the time in between, she helped her children with homework and sports, and worked as a Calcasieu Parish School Board bus oper-

ator in Westlake. As a driver, she discovered how much she enjoyed working with children.

“I saw the connection and value in being a good role model for those students at

the first of the school day and the end of the day. These things helped to open my thoughts to pursuing a career in teaching.”

She has also spent several years working with children

and adults with developmental disabilities and autism.

“Academically, many of the individuals I worked with excelled in certain areas but did struggle with life and social skills,” she said. “I worked one-on-one and in group settings in the community, teaching and supporting these valuable skills.”

Vallery also volunteers as a coach at the local recreation center with boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, and coaches the youth wrestling club, Bronco Wrestling Club.

She teaches third grade special education, which covers all subjects. Early in her teacher journey, she knew she wanted to teach lower elementary grades.

“With my previous career experiences, my understanding, and patience, I have always felt I was meant to work with those with developmental disabilities or See TEACHER, C13

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Powering the future: La. joins wind energy market

By Emily Burleigh American Press

Louisiana is emerging in the offshore wind energy market, but is facing economic uncertainty following federal actions.

Two Louisiana offshore wind (OSW) developments — Dow LA Gulf Wind and Cajun Wind, LLC — have been secured and are estimated to collectively generate $40 million in lifetime revenue.

The Cajun Wind project alone spans nearly 60,000 acres in offshore Cameron Parish and is projected to generate $29 million. The Dow LA Gulf Wind development will take up 6,162 acres in the Terrebonne and Lafourche parish territories.

These early initiatives are expected to drive economic growth in coastal parishes while also diversifying the state’s energy portfolio.

The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) has taken steps to develop the OSW sector with the Louisiana Offshore Wind Roadmap Advisory Committee. Last year, the committee was formed to create a comprehensive offshore wind energy integration plan.

The committee’s third meeting was in March, where they gave presentations on the national OSW supply chain and updates on the two completed reports: Overview of Louisiana Energy Environment and Overview of Energy Markets.

Ron Norman, senior partner of energy and utilities for PA Consulting Group, is the lead consultant for the energy markets committee workgroup. He said during his update that the energy load-growth across Louisiana

Associated Press Archives

Three of Deepwater Wind’s five turbines stand in the water off Block Island, R.I., the nation’s first offshore wind farm. is “robust.”

“We’ve got significant industrial power demand, which is often compatible with large-scale power generation projects,” he said.

Additionally, Louisiana touts shallow-water depth, preexisting port infrastructure and an existing trained offshore workforce. Hurdles the state will face range from low wind quality in the Gulf to the need for transmission investments to transport power from the Gulf to power centers.

Offshore wind demand and supply chain OSW is an industry still in the early stages of develop-

ment. But the economic benefits are already far-reaching.

Sam Salustro, vice president of strategic communication at Oceantic Network — a national organization working to build out the OSW supply chain — discussed the national outlook on OSW. As of March, about 60 gigawatts (GW) of OSW have been leased by the federal government. These facilities are primarily located on the East Coast, but are also being developed on the West Coast and on the Gulf Coast.

Nationally, there is one complete OSW project and five in active installation.

Just these few projects have resulted in $25.5 billion in

investments — ports, vessels, factories — for the OSW supply chain that spans 40 states.

The demand for OSW has been driven by the states through utility or state-mandated OSW procurement policies, with several states passing amendments, proposals and initiatives to prioritize alternative energy sources, resulting in a demand of 116 GW. “While the federal government is generally the supply lever of the market, the states are the demand lever,” he said.

This trend is close to home.

Last November, Louisiana voters passed an amendment to dedicate any future federal funds the state receives from

offshore alternative energy production to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund, a constitutionally protected fund for coastal protection projects and programs.

This aligns with a nationally trending preference for renewable energy. This marketwide demand for clean energy has originated from the private sector by consumer preferences, improved technology, tax incentives, declining capital costs and clean energy standards, Norman said.

States are driving this market forward to address energy demand issues. With the rise of data centers — networked computer servers that are used for remote storage, processing and data distribution — that are expected to eat up to 11.7 percent of U.S. power in 2030, states are looking to secure alternative energy sources quickly. The United States will need 50 percent more power production by 2035.

These projections have created a “tailwind” for clean energy discussions.

“There’s a real rush to figure out how to meet this demand. … There’s always this underlying preference from the data center owners and developers for clean energy,” he said.

Salustro called it a “conversation about how to fill the looming energy gaps and the fact is that offshore wind is, frankly, a shovel-ready industry at this point.”

He continued by explaining that OSW is desirable because it has high capacity, and consequently, a “strong and reliable grid” that is “essentially as close to a base-level See WIND, C19

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C13

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TEACHER Continued from C8

different learning abilities,” she explained. “When I was offered this opportunity, I could not pass it up. I strongly feel things line up and happen for a reason.”

Her philosophy is that any student can learn, no matter the obstacles, if their educators give them the tools, instruction and support they need.

No day is the same in her classroom. In a SPED combo class, structure and flexibility are paramount because of each student’s unique needs.

She has learned to effectively manage a wide range of behaviors while celebrating small victories.

“There were tough moments when I questioned if I was doing enough or reaching every child. But there

Ashley Vallery

were also beautiful moments watching a student meet a goal, gain confidence, or feel truly seen and supported.

Those are the moments that keep me going.”

Each school day starts with Vallery uplifting her students

to create a positive second home for them.

“I can make them all feel welcome and safe, with the hope that we can provide an environment that they want to show up to,” she said. “If we can get a student motivated enough to show up and really want to be in our classroom, we have already achieved a great deal.”

This second home housed at Western Heights Elementary is “loving, safe and structured.”

There are areas for sensory work, an area for relaxation and enough space for students to “move around and let some of their energy out.”

She is grateful for her team, Mrs. Sittig and Mrs. Valdez, who have helped her along the way.

“They have supported me and the students, helped me to provide all the things that are needed and come up

with bright ideas and problem-solving, so our students enjoy coming to school and learning.”

The position has been a “great match” for Vallery, who is deeply connected to the Westlake community. In her experience, those who feel drawn to teaching should always be open to new opportunities and remember it does not have to be “a cookie-cutter career.”

“I really did not want to work anywhere else, I wanted to be a part of fostering that community feeling, and teach and work in this community,” she explained. “If you have passion and drive to share your time and be inspiring, then you may be a great fit for teaching our youth.”

At the end of her first year as a teacher, what she calls a “powerful journey,” Vallery’s emotions are a mix

of “exhaustion, growth and immense pride.” She has been challenged in a way that has solidified her passion for the career.

Moving forward with “heart, patience and persistence,” she is excited to develop even more as an educator next year. Teaching is now a vocation that comes with responsibility, she said, and her priorities for the 2025-26 school year are to refine her routines, discover new avenues for student success and to grow with a “renewed sense of purpose and passion.”

“It drives me to show up fully, to advocate for my students, and to give them the tools they need to grow not just academically, but as confident, compassionate individuals,” she concluded. “Helping shape the future, one student at a time, is a privilege I don’t take lightly.”

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NAMES

life in Southwest Louisiana — now and for generations to come.

launched in March 2024, delivered 5.2 million impressions, surpassing its target by 10%. It included 35 engaging social media posts and 11 bonus reels and was featured in the Tripscout Travel Digest newsletter, reaching 448,217 subscribers with a remarkable 28.3% open rate.

Pete to lead LC Housing Authority

Continued from C6

Bonton

McElveen

Foundation elects new board members At its annual meeting held at the McNeese Legacy Center on March 17, The Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana elected three new members to its Board of Rowland Directors.

Joining the board are: Andre Bonton, retired from Sasol; Amanda McElveen, retired insurance agent and former co-owner of McElveen Insurance; and Harold Rowland, vice president and general manager of L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles.

The Foundation also elected new members to its Executive Committee: Clair Hebert Marceaux, Vice Chair; Owen Thompson, Treasurer; and Kody Cannon, Secretary Jim Rock continues to serve as Chair, and Marshall Simien is the immediate past Chair.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana connects people who care with causes that matter, working to enhance the quality of

The Lake Charles Housing Authority is proud to announce the hiring of Mitchell Greg Pete to take over as the new executive director, upon the retirement of Ben Taylor.

Taylor will stay on in a transition role through July.

A Lake Charles native, Pete brings over 30 years of executive leadership, project management and engineering experience. His background includes leadership roles at Sasol, APTIV, and Delphi Electronics & Safety, where he managed multi-million-dollar projects, led cross-functional teams, and championed community engagement initiatives. His deep ties to Lake Charles and commitment to public service will guide LCHA’s mission of providing safe, affordable housing.

With the LCHA’s recent settlement of its insurance claims from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, the LCHA can now embark on a new exciting chapter of growth and service to the community. With these resources secured, LCHA’s immediate priority under Pete’s leadership will be addressing the housing stock damaged by the storms. Plans are already underway to demolish and/or repair the impacted units.

Stenvick named director of council The Board of Directors of the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana is pleased to announce the appointment of Lee Ann Stenvick as executive director.

A native of Gonzales, , Stenvick is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre performance. Her professional journey began at

CLOSE UP the LSU Foundation, where she discovered a passion for mission-driven work — setting the course for a decade-long Stenvick career in nonprofit fundraising.

Over the years, Stenvick has built a career rooted in purpose, developing a strong record of cultivating generosity and nurturing meaningful partnerships. Her work has supported both academic programming and institution-wide initiatives, with experience spanning strategic operations and frontline development.

In 2023, Stenvick relocated to Lake Charles when her husband accepted a faculty position as assistant professor and Director of Theatre Productions at McNeese State University. She brings with her a deep commitment to the arts and a firm belief that investing in arts is vital to strengthening communities, enriching lives and fostering a vibrant cultural landscape.

Hite earns Instructor of Excellence Award Sowela Technical Community College Information Systems Instructor Paul Hite recently received the 2024 Instructor Excellence Advanced Level Award from CisHite co Networking Academy. The award recognizes the contributions of the top 25% of academy instructors based on a global ranking of outcomes, learner performance and course feedback. It celebrates the skills, experience and expertise of instructors who deliver impactful educational experiences for learners.

Hite is an adjunct in-

structor at Sowela, teaching networking and cybersecurity courses in the Information Systems Technology program.

He is also an Infrastructure and Security Supervisor at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Cisco Networking Academy offers industry-based credentials for Information Systems students. IBCs are certifications created by industries to confirm that individuals have mastered the critical skills necessary to be effective employees. Sowela students in all programs complete IBCs related to their area of study and career goals. Individuals who earn IBCs have a real advantage when applying for jobs in high-demand careers. They also help build confidence, enlarge students’ professional networks and advance their careers.

Dentist receives humanitarian award BATON ROUGE — Dr. James Richard Churchman was presented the Humanitarian Award during the 144th House of Delegates of the Louisiana Churchman Dental Association.

The LDA Humanitarian Award recognizes dentists who have distinguished themselves through outstanding dental service activities in the USA or abroad. Churchman has been a dedicated tripartite member of the LDA, the American Dental Association, and the Southwest Dental Association for 34 years.

Churchman’s long-standing devotion to providing quality dental care stretches beyond his community. Since 1998, he has attended more than 35 international mission trips to provide dental, medical and water sanitation services to those less fortunate.

He has visited countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. In 2015, he donated his time in Baton Rouge to provide dental services with the Louisiana Mission of Mercy. In 2023, he served with LaMOM again.

This event provided over $1 million in dental care to 910 patients in the Lafayette area.

He served initially in the Rotary Club of Greater Lake Charles and currently serves with the Lake Charles Club, which he has been a member of since 1994. He participates in the Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group and has chaired the Rotary Action Group for Dental Volunteers.

He earned the Avenues of Service Citation, the Service Above Self award, the Citation for Meritorious Service, and the Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award for his involvement. He also received the “Philanthropy Award” from The Family Foundation of Southwest Louisiana. He is a graduate of both McNeese and the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry.

Hidalgo recognized

by University of Ala. TUSCALOOSA, Ala — The University of Alabama’s Department of Human Resources recently held its annual ceremony recognizing Student Employee of the Year nominees. Among them are Erin Hidalgo of Sulphur.

The University of Alabama employs about 5,000 students each year. The 2024-2025 honorees demonstrate exemplary leadership skills, apply critical thinking to generate innovative ideas. Eligible students are undergraduate student assistant employees and work-study student employees working in on-campus positions. Students must have worked a minimum of six months part time or three months full time.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C15

We seek to become the kind of church described in the Bible – a church with relevant teaching, heart-felt worship, honest friendships, constant prayer, and compassionate care for those in need. We would like to have the kind of Christianity that can influence and encourage the entire community, one life at a time.

So, whether you’re a spiritual seeker who is just starting to ask questions about God, or a committed Christian, you can find a home here at First Church.

It is our prayer that your experience—whether online or in person—leaves you feeling part of the family.

Our utmost goal as a body is to be a place where “People can find and experience the love of God!” We have active and thriving ministries including Sunday School, LOFT students, Ladies, Men, Spanish, Music, Hyphen College, Purpose Institute and many more!

You have a home here with us!

Please join us on Sundays at 10am and 6pm and Wednesday nights at 7pm!

First Church Academy, our K-12 school, is now open for enrollment!

101 Nolan Trace, Leesville, LA 71446

C16 AMERICAN PRESS FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025

CLOSE UP DONATE LIFE MONTH

One sister’s life-saving gift ‘It was my honor. She’s my person,’ Babst says of donating a kidney

By Crystal Stevenson American Press

Sisters Alice Babst, MD, left, and Anne Griepsma, NP

Looking at her now, one wouldn’t know Anne Griepsma has gone through multiple major surgeries, including a recent life-saving kidney transplant.

Griepsma says the selfless gift of organ donation by her sister, Dr. Alice Babst, is the reason she is thriving today.

“If I didn’t know all the things that have happened over the past couple of years, I would think we were just rolling with life,” Griepsma, a nurse practictioner, said. “I forgot that this is what life actually looks like.”

At 13, Griepsma was diagnosed with lupus — a chronic, autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and damage.

“As an eighth-grader I was dealing with lupus, the medication, and I went through a bunch of rounds of chemotherapy

just trying to get it to go into remission,” Griepsma said.

Once a month, for six years, she would undergo the chemotherapy treatment.

“Sometimes I wondered if the doctors forgot I was on it,” she said with a laugh. “I know that’s not true, but it just seemed like forever.”

Ten years after her diagnosis, her lupus went into a remissive state — a period when the symptoms of the disease are reduced or disappear.

“This was a robbed childhood, very much so,” Babst, who’s older by just a year and a half, said. “She grew up very quickly and is downplaying this. There were several near-death hospitalizations. At one point she had a hypertensive crisis and had a brain bleed and was in the hospital in 10th grade and had to relearn how to walk and talk and write.”

Griepsma said when she went into remission — other than taking

several doses of medication daily — life became “relatively normal.”

That lasted for about 20 years until she noticed periods of fatigue and joint pain near the end of 2022.

“I had two kids to worry about, a job and life and all that and I just thought if I don’t acknowledge it, it will go away,” Griepsma said. “I had been doing so well for so long.”

She said she began experiencing a chronic cough that December that she attributed to cold and flu season. The cough made her hoarse for about three months.

She also began coughing up blood.

“Still, I didn’t go to the doctor,” Griepsma said. “I should have because when I started to think about it when all this was going on I did notice my urine output had become a little bit less. I wasn’t waking up at night to go to the bathroom like I used to See GIFT, C17

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and the volume wasn’t as much, but I wasn’t retaining fluid so I thought it was fine and I was just tired and didn’t feel good.”

By March 2023, she had dropped 10 pounds, her fitness monitor wasn’t picking up her heart rate when she was working out, she couldn’t lift heavy weights any longer, and the constant fatigue continued.

“I was falling asleep in my car, falling asleep at my desk, coming home from work and falling asleep on the couch,” she said. “I couldn’t stay awake yet couldn’t sleep at night.”

During a flight home from a party she attended in St. Louis, Mo., her world started turning black and she began having trouble breathing.

Upon landing, her boyfriend took her to the emergency room.

“They drew my blood work and then wanted to redo it,” she said. “On further examination it was determined that I had kidney failure, heart failure and was severely anemic. The doctor told me the last time someone came in with a blood count that low they were not alive when they got there.”

Griepsma also had hemorrhaging in her lungs, COVID and pneumonia.

She said the heart failure was diagnosed as viral cardiomyopathy — a condition in which viral infections lead to heart muscle inflammation.

She would spend the next week hospitalized and on dialysis. Upon her release, the plan was for her to continue dialysis on an outpatient basis. That lasted only three days.

“My hands and feet became purple and ice cold and I couldn’t find my pulses,” she

Special to the American Press

Above: Dr. Alice Babst and Anne Griepsma walked to each others’ hospital rooms daily during their recovery processes following the transplantation.

Left: The sisters attended one last Orange Theory cycling class the day before the transplant surgery. said. “I did have some back pain and some pain in my left shoulder. I was also having trouble swallowing food.”

Her boyfriend brought her back to the hospital, where the doctor told her she was having a heart attack. Scans revealed she had 80 percent blockage and needed a stint in her left main artery. After the procedure, she was airlifted to a New Orleans hospital.

“I was in critical care for four or five days and I actually felt OK,” she said. “When I was brought to a regular room, I developed severe abdominal pain and I found out I had a perforated colon. Basically, every organ in my body was

trying to ease out on me.”

Though she remained hospitalized for several weeks, she wasn’t a candidate for colon surgery because of all of her other ailments. Griepsma was eventually released to return to her Lake Charles home — but the reprieve lasted only a few days.

“The abdominal pain got worse and I wanted to go to the emergency room this time,” she said. “I ended up having some abscesses in my abdomen and behind my uterus. They had to go in and put in drains — and keep in mind I’m still going through dialysis at this time. I stayed in the hospital for maybe four days

and then I went home for a couple of days again and I felt awful. The pain was awful and I remember telling my sister, ‘I’m pretty sure this is what dying feels like.’ ” She couldn’t walk, she had dropped to 90 pounds and she couldn’t do any of her normal activities. This time the diagnosis was a pulmonary embolism.

“At this point the surgeon is saying it would be more risky to not take me to surgery than to take me to surgery,” she said. “They did a clean out. I still had the drains when I woke up and, unfortunately, I also woke up with a colostomy bag.”

The procedure left her depressed and with severe body issues for months as she began tackling out-patient physical therapy.

“I fell on the floor and I couldn’t get back up because I was so weak. It was that bad. The therapy lasted three months and it really did put me in a new mindset that I could get my strength back. I told myself, ‘OK. I can do this.’ ” The added strength made her a candidate for surgery.

In December of 2023, she had a foot of her colon removed.

Two months later, the colostomy bag was removed. Seven See GIFT, C18

C18 AMERICAN PRESS FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025

CLOSE UP

Special to the American Press

Dr. Alice Babst and Anne Griepsma — surrounded by their sisters and loved ones — celebrate Griepsma’s second chance at life following a successful kidney transplant. The kidney was donated by Babst.

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months after that, it was transplant time.

“There’s a little more to that story, though,” Babst said. “You go through a lot of tests to be able to do the transplant. We started out with her being evaluated to see if she was a candidate. At first, they said maybe. When they saw her in person, that changed.

“After physical therapy, she was going to Orange Theory with a colostomy bag and going to dialysis three days a week and seeing patients as a single mother,” Babst said.

“She was still doing all the things. As soon as she could go back to the gym, she was doing that and she was trying out Pilates and going for walks. On the days she wasn’t

wiped out from dialysis she was like, ‘I have to get my strength back,’ and her heart recovered. The heart function went from being in heart failure to going back to normal.

When they saw her in person, they were like, ‘Woah, you don’t match your chart.’ ” There are six sisters in their family. Doctors decided to test three initially to see if any would be a match.

Babst said there are six alleles — or genes — that doctors tested.

“I matched all six of her alleles, another sister matched four and another was two out of six,” Babst said. “We went with the perfect match because that’s the least chance of rejection.”

“With her being a six out of six match, they said it was like a twin,” Griepsma added.

Babst said doctors told the pair that Griepsma would be

put to sleep first because they didn’t know what they would find when they opened her up.

If the transplant couldn’t be done, Griepsma would have to remain on dialysis the rest of her life. If the transplant was possible, then Babst would be taken back to surgery and the process completed.

“It was really awful for her, going to sleep not knowing what was going to happen,” Babst said. “It was an awesome moment for me, though, when the surgeon came back and said, ‘Hey, we’re going.’ ” Babst said she never hesitated in giving a part of herself to her sister.

“I was elated,” she said. “It was my honor. She’s my person. We’re best friends.”

The news left Griepsma, however, racked with guilt.

“I would call her every day and ask, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? What if it

doesn’t work and you wasted a kidney? What if you die?’ It was very stressful,” Griepsma said.

“We’ve been best friends forever so it wasn’t even a question for me,” Babst said.

“And I guess as a surgeon I wasn’t afraid.”

Griepsma said she remembers waking up from the surgery asking, ‘Did it happen?

Did it happen?’ ” Seven months post-surgery, Griepsma feels great.

Her cardiovascular issues have reversed themselves and she’s been released from the care of her pulmonologist because her lungs have healed.

“It was such a huge gift and sacrifice on her part and that’s not something you can ever repay someone for,” Griepsma said of her sister’s selfless act.

Donate Life Month April is Donate Life Month,

and the sisters said they want to spend it spreading awareness on the process to become a living donor. There are more than 100,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

Griepsma said living donation offers several benefits, including shorter wait times and a higher chance of a successful transplant.

“Receiving an organ from a living donor, there is less chance of rejection,” Griepsma said. “Living organ donation is not something people talk about every day. Even just a piece of your liver can save somebody’s life.”

To become an organ donor, sign up on the state’s donor registry or the National Donate Life Registry, mark the choice on your driver’s license when you get or renew it, and make sure your family knows you want to be a donor.

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SPORTING Continued from C2

to play. They want turf fields.

In the past, we would get an inch of rain and have to go home. We did a cooperative agreement to turf the fields at O.D. Johnson and Power Center, and we have had great success with it. They stay booked all summer long.”

He also lauded the fact that events don’t have to compete with major sports teams for the spotlight like they would in larger cities. He said that was one reason why Lake Charles was able to land the USA Boxing National Championships in 2019 and 2020.

“One of the things I always tell rights holders and event operators is you come to Southwest Louisiana, and you are going to get the red-carpet treatment,” Zartler said. “You are not competing for airtime or ticket sales with the Dallas Mavericks or Stars.

“When you come to South-

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power source as we’re going to get in renewable energy” — factors that are compatible with high-load facilities like data centers.

Additionally, OSW results in fuel and ratepayer bill savings, he said.

The national expansion of OSW is dependent on the Gulf states’ industry expertise.

“Up in the Northeast, they just do not have the expertise to build this industry.”

Twenty-four percent of the OSW supply chain, or about 500 contracts, are from the South and Gulf Coast — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Oceanic has tracked $2 billion in regional investments to support the supply chain, primarily in Gulf shipyards and

west Louisiana, you are going to be the biggest thing going on that week. Just like when we brought in USA Boxing in 2019. We were competing against five major cities. In Southwest Louisiana, in December you are going to be top billing on TV and in the newspaper. They don’t have to decide if they are going to watch the Stars game or watch boxing. That is one of the hooks that we use here. We try to not overbook things.”

The year is nowhere close to slowing down for Southwest Louisiana and sporting events. May will bring the LHSAA state softball and baseball tournaments, and the Louisiana High School Rodeo Finals. Sulphur Parks and Recreation has hosted the state softball tournament since 2001 and baseball since 2012.

In June, the Jennie Finch World Series returns on the 12th through the 15th to Sulphur combined with the return of women’s profession-

al softball to the area. Athletes Unlimited will play a threegame series in Sulphur during the Jennie Finch World Series.

“High school softball and baseball championships are always huge for our year,” Zartler said. “We are also hosting Athletes Unlimited softball league three-game series at McMurry Park in Sulphur.

“That will bring significant groups and media attention. It will be televised on one of the ESPN channels. It was a strategic move to make sure we had a good softball audience in the town to enhance both events.”

Visit Lake Charles and the Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority are always looking for more events, he said. One of those is the NCAA Junior College women’s Division I basketball tournament, which will be hosted at McNeese State’s Legacy Center next year.

“It is only going to get bigger,” Zartler said.

steel fabrication; Louisiana has three shipyards and two steel fabrication and supply facilities.

Andy Logan, head of operations and people at Xdous Group and lead consultant for the supply chain and workforce committee workgroup, said that while there are over 120 companies in the Louisiana Offshore Wind Supplier Database, recent studies have found that this could increase to over 450.

OSW also bolsters local workforces by creating new construction and operations jobs. Oceantic reported that Vineyard Wind 1, an OFW facility in Massachusetts, created about 2,800 construction jobs (about half of which were local) and 80-plus long-term operations jobs.

The Overview of Louisiana Energy Environment study

also determined that there are currently 60,000 Louisiana workers employed in industries adjacent to offshore wind.

“There are hundreds of companies and thousands of workers who stand to benefit from the expansion of the offshore energy industry,” Logan said.

Federal action Despite national interest, the trajectory of OSW could be stunted at the federal level.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to temporarily halt offshore wind lease sales and pause the issuance of permits for onshore and offshore wind projects in federal waters to assess the wind leasing and permitting practices.

These federal actions

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 AMERICAN PRESS C19

Rodrick Anderson / American Press

Hamilton Christian Warrior fans cheer during the Select Division IV state championship game on March 14 at Burton Coliseum. The Warriors beat Southern Lab 61-58.

against OSW have continued throughout the first months of his term. The Associated Press reported this month that his administration revoked a Clean Air Permit for an offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey in March; on April 16, he ordered that the construction of the New York OSW project, Empire Wind, be stopped.

The executive actions regarding OSW are points of concern for the industry, Salustro said. Projects to produce about 30,000 GW of energy have been mapped out to 2033. The supply chain has been built out to meet an accelerating and nationally supported industry, but the pause on permits could lead to a “loss of economic potential.”

“That threatens to strand assets that have been built both down in Louisiana and

up in the Northwest to support the industry,” he explained. “The loss of business pipeline is impacting states like Louisiana, Texas, just as much as its impacting Massachusetts and New York.”

Louisiana’s state-leased projects will not be directly affected by the federal permitting freeze, but projects could face challenges, he said.

“Clearly, that creates a headwind not just for the development of offshore wind off the coast of Louisiana, but for projects across the U.S. later,” Norman added. “Therefore, the supply chain as it may integrate with Louisiana and other regions, is complicated by the slowdown the industry is facing.”

Public information and meeting recordings are available on louisianaoffshorewind.org.

C20 AMERICAN PRESS FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025

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