COASTAL CALM: A FRESH TAKE ON A GRAND ISLE CAMP
BY BONNIE RUSHING | PHOTOS BY SHANNON BELLA
Tucked away on Louisiana ' s treasured coastline, this Grand Isle camp recently underwent a stunning refresh by decorator Shannon Bella. She brought new life to the space with a serene palette of blues and greens, creating a cohesive flow that mirrors the Gulf waters just outside the door.
In the heart of the home, the living room invites relaxation with a spacious sectional piled high with pillows in soft sky and seafoam hues. A patterned rug, leafy green accents, and a large wall of symmetrical prints add depth and visual balance, while
natural light pours in through crisp white blinds and breezy curtains.
Throughout the camp, Shannon focused on comfort without sacrificing style. In the main bedroom, an elegant floral wall sculpture and a pair of gold-rimmed mirrors bring an upscale touch, complemented by botanical-print pillows and layered linens in calming tones. A pair of twin beds in the guest room are framed by bold green headboards and vibrant artwork, perfect for hosting family and friends in coastal comfort.
Thoughtful details carry through every corner, from the playful pelican paintings to a curated gallery of coastal photographs that nod to the island's charm. Even the bathroom feels refreshed, with a sparkling light fixture and a vanity that blends function with flair. Finishing touches, like a trio of green ginger jars on a rattan-accented cabinet blend natural textures with coastal elegance.
This Grand Isle retreat now feels both restful and refined—a place to step away, soak in the view, and feel like you're exactly where you belong. POV
BY ISABELLE PINTO | PHOTOS PROVIDED
The Fallen Outdoors, a nationwide organization helping veterans find peace and community after serving our country, is making its way down the bayou.
The Fallen Outdoors is a nonprofit dedicated to organizing outdoor adventures such as hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping for veterans, active-duty service members, and Gold Star families. Founded in 2009 by three soldiers during their deployment in Afghanistan, The Fallen Outdoors works with service members from every generation and from all branches of the military to create meaningful connections, hosting roughly 15,000 guided trips across the country each year– but until recently, never had a presence in southern Louisiana.
With a background in the oil fields and now a business owner, Houma-native
Trevor Murphy always had a passion to help our nation's veterans. "We have a family friend who is a 3-time Purple Heart Vietnam Veteran, and he is truly one of the greatest guys I've ever met and one of my biggest inspirations to help," explained Trevor. "The Midwest Team of The Fallen Outdoors reached out to me around 2021 for some fundraising, and that's how I got involved in the organization's mission."
Just six months later, Hurricane Ida devastated Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, and Trevor received a life changing call from members of the Midwest Fallen Outdoors asking how they could help. “Five trucks full of The Fallen Outdoors members pulled up to my house, ready to help the community– for several days we went around and assisted Houma, Chauvin, Thibodaux, really anyone who needed it," said Trevor. "They fell in love
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with everything about southern Louisiana, and became interested in hosting some Fallen Outdoors hunting trips down here."
Ever since, Trevor has led dozens of Fallen Outdoors veterans on a yearly summertime trip down the bayou, including hunting, inshore and offshore fishing, frogging, swamp tours, festivals, and more. The attending veterans are able to connect with nature and find community, while enjoying a taste of true southern hospitality.
"The help and support I've received from our community on these trips has been incredible," said Trevor. "Whether it's a donated campsite, or owners of the marina helping with charter fishing trips, or a
potential partnership with a new hotel–every little bit makes a difference for these veterans. They deal with so much, and these trips help."
After the success of these annual guided trips, Trevor and his associates are looking to establish an official Fallen Outdoors chapter based in southern Louisiana, with the ultimate goal to bring veterans from all over the country to the bayou area. "We have veterans in Louisiana who want to go hunt elk, but veterans in the Midwest who want to come hunt an alligator," chuckled Trevor. "We want to create an official chapter to make it easier to swap trips so they all enjoy a unique experience."
While the southern Louisiana chapter
is moving forward, organizers are still seeking community volunteers and extra support. If you are a landowner willing to open your properties for hunts, fishing, or nature-based activities; a professional guide or outfitter willing to donate time, knowledge, and access to specialized outdoor experiences; or a donor willing to help cover the cost of trips, gear, food, transportation, and lodging, please visit www.fallenoutdoors.com.
"Most people who know me know that this is my passion and my mission. If we can send these men and women to war to fight for our country, we need to be able to take care of them when they get back," said Trevor. "It means so much to me to see them smile and enjoy a break from their
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mental and physical stress. I'm here to provide support, a good time, and show them all the wonderful things that Louisiana has to offer."
As Trevor ' s efforts with The Fallen Outdoors continue to grow, Terrebonne Parish is proud to be called a place where veterans can find peace, purpose, and a renewed sense of brotherhood. POV
As we present our 8th annual Honoring Our Heroes issue, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the businesses and organizations who made this issue possible. Their support helps us celebrate the brave individuals who serve our community through military service, law enforcement, fire protection, emergency response, healthcare, and volunteer efforts. Thank you for standing with us in recognizing our local heroes.
HONORING OUR HEROES STARTS CLOSE TO HOME. PROUDLY ROOTED IN
We’re grateful for the service and sacrifice of all who protect and serve—and especially to the men and women of the Thibodaux
At Veteran Tree Care, honoring our heroes isn’t just a gesture—it’s our foundation. As a veteran-owned business, we salute the brave men and women who serve and protect our country and communities.
BY EVAN CRESSOINE | PHOTOS PROVIDED
Every student deserves the right to an academic, inclusive, and even spiritual education if that's what they so desire, and two local schools have been taking the steps to ensure this reality for their communities.
In Houma, Vandebilt Catholic High School [VCH] instituted their HOPE program around 2015-2016. The program aims to provide an all-inclusive, studentcentered Catholic education to students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. As a part of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart ministry, VCH allows these students to strive for personal, social, spiritual, and intellectual growth.
Each HOPE student follows an ICEP (Individualized Catholic Education Plan). This education is paired with individual job coaching by the HOPE faculty, encouraging either off or on-campus employability.
Program director and HOPE teacher Gretta Jo Calongne emphasizes the importance of meeting each student where they are. Although each HOPE student does have their own ICEP, they also participate in general education classes such as physical education, certain electives, and religion. This allows the HOPE students to continue an inclusive education among the rest of the student body.
“They still participate in school wide pep rallies, mass, any of our special events at school. They're part of our big/little program once they enter eighth grade,” said Gretta Jo. “The purpose of the program is just to allow them to have a Catholic education like their siblings, or perhaps the education their parents always imagined they'd have, and still allow us to meet them where they are academically and socially.”
Gretta Jo, who has spent eight years now with the HOPE program, teaches the academics such as math and English, and also takes charge of the planning. Her two paras are Rebecca (Becky) Gaudet and
Rebecca Mcnamara. They both assist her in the classroom as well as accompany the students to their general education classes as needed. Gretta Jo said, “I couldn't do it without them.”
“Because of the student body we have, that works so great with our kids, we're able to allow these students to feel like any other student on campus. They come in the morning, they participate in regular morning activities. They're in the quad with friends and, with the exception of the academics during their day, they really feel like they're getting that true high school experience,” shared Gretta Jo.
“We have students that have a variety of disabilities, and we meet them all where they are. We provide what they need socially and academically just to make sure that they're successful,” Gretta Jo shared.
The HOPE students also partake in the same lunch and recess periods as the rest of Vandebilt's student body, and are treated equally to their peers. With help from the school's HOPE Buddy system, the students are paired with typical students who are there to aid in any way they can.
Students in the HOPE program have their needs met even when engaging in general education classes such as being permitted extra time on tests and utilizing notes. According to Gretta Jo, HOPE is for students
A large focus point within the HOPE program is gearing the students up for future career opportunities. The goal is to ensure these students are college and/or career ready. One recent graduate from the program now works at TARC's Cajun Confections and has been so successful in her employment that TARC has since reached out to VCH to partner with them in the fall, allowing the HOPE juniors and seniors to get some hands-on work experience through an internship program provided by TARC.
work on in the class throughout their time with us, and that I think, is a big help for their future,” Gretta Jo said.
VCH president Jeremy Gueldner and science department chair Mary Catherine Gueldner know firsthand how important the HOPE program is to our families. Not only are they employees at VCH, they are also parents of two students. Their daughter Cate graduated from VCH in May and their younger daughter Macy is currently a student in the HOPE program.
“It was a big piece of the puzzle as to why we wanted to move back to Houma and be part of the Vandebilt community. The idea that they're both educated, loved and formed in the same way, yet differently, was important,” shared Jeremy. “We know they're both being taught at a high level. They're both being pushed to reach their potential. Now, that potential is vastly different for the two of them, but the idea is that they're both being pushed to reach whatever their potential is in a supportive environment. I think it's one of the many things that makes Vandebilt so special.
Buddy Program doesn ' t just exist in isolation; it's a fully embraced part of our school.”
Alongside inclusion within the school campus, HOPE also encourages involvement within the larger community, and they do so by sponsoring Treats at the Track, a Halloween event open to the special needs community regardless of age and connection to the school. All exceptional adults, children, and their families are allowed to participate in this allergy-friendly, sensory safe gathering.
Gretta Jo shared, “It just allows our special needs community to come and have a safe place to trick-or-treat if they choose to. They can dress in costumes. [...] But the best part is that not only does it involve our HOPE students, but it involves our student body.”
According to Gretta Jo, every club and team at VCH participates by providing a game or an activity at this event, and there are also some therapy centers that have joined in the putting together of Treats at the Track. Another group very present at this event is the C.A.R.E.S program from E.D. White.
Edward Douglas White Catholic High School [EDW] in Thibodaux also provides a program for students with exceptionalities, providing them with a faith-based education centered on fostering growth. The C.A.R.E.S program stands for Compassion, Achievement, and Respect for Exceptional Students. Similar to VCH ' s HOPE program, C.A.R.E.S provides each student with a tailor-made IEP and strives to ensure these students with a successful future as well as an inclusive high school experience.
Also a part of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart ministry, C.A.R.E.S focuses on academics, life skills, building community relationships, and having their students be included in every aspect of the EDW campus. Many of their C.A.R.E.S students are involved in extracurriculars like dance club, sports, drama club, and music ministry.
Mary Jane Milam-Hull, also known as MJ, serves as a C.A.R.E.S teacher alongside Whitney Griffin, and C.A.R.E.S support Cameron Rutter. MJ finds herself blessed to be able to partake in the spiritual aspect with her students such as attending Mass, adoration, and providing the students with a religious education.
MJ shared that all of the credit for this program should be given first to God, and then to Mrs. Betsy Roques who brought the program to EDW, the principal Michelle Chiasson, and their president Tim Robichaux. “They have led the way and set the example for the standard of the program and the acceptance we have on campus,” MJ shared.
According to MJ, when the originally off-campus program was suggested to be integrated onto campus around 2016, Mr. Robichaux's response was “Why wouldn't we and why haven't we?” For her, this sets the tone for C.A.R.E.S at EDW, a program which is proudly embraced by students, faculty, and staff alike.
MJ strongly feels that the heroes of this story are the parents and students within the C.A.R.E.S program who not only want to be included in this high school education, but also very much deserve to be.
Layle and Ryan Babin's daughter Hayes has recently graduated from the C.A.R.E.S program and will be returning to the EDW campus in a work role. According to Hayes it was important for them to make sure their daughter was in an environment where she would be safe. “It just put us at ease knowing she was with MJ, Ms. Whitney, and the other kids over there. The kids in the C.A.R.E.S class as well as the other kids were all really great to her and for her,” shared Ryan.
Meredith Knight's fifteen-year-old son Jacques Rougeau has found the C.A.R.E.S
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which he scored a touchdown. Meredith called it one of the most beautiful experiences she's ever witnessed, not only as a mother of a child on the spectrum, but also just to be able to watch his teammates celebrate her son. Jacques was also awarded Player of the Week.
“The program just gives parents like myself, with kids, special needs or on the autism spectrum like my son, it just gives us hope. It gives us hope for our children to be able to experience high school like any other child, and that's all we really want as parents is for them to have the same moment and life we did. The C.A.R.E.S program definitely offers all of those things for them,” Meredith said.
C.A.R.E.S includes children of EDW staff as well. English teacher Kelly Moreaux and Dean of Students Quinn Moreaux's daughter Ella has grown significantly since starting C.A.R.E.S in the eighth grade. However, what Quinn sees is the impact the C.A.R.E.S students tend to have on the remaining student body.
“It's amazing, the kids that go and spend time with them at lunch and recess. She [Ella] gets invited to their get togethers. They come pick her up and bring her to the movies, and they go get ice cream. She is a big part of the school, and I think, part of the other students' day,” Quinn shared. “Every morning, all of the C.A.R.E.S kids are lined up in my office giving hugs to me, my secretary, our SRO. Everybody gets a hug every morning, first thing.”
“It ' s been such a blessing to see them be a part of everything, but to see the impact they have on the other students, and how it changes the whole dynamic of the school. Since I started, I just feel like the kids are more welcoming, and kinder, and they think about what they're about to say. I think it helps them focus on what's really important,” Kelly shared.
started school. Although school had always been a struggle for Isabella, everything changed when she was transferred to EDW and joined the C.A.R.E.S program.
Tim and Kim said, “C.A.R.E.S nurtures the whole child—academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Bella now attends regular classes with accommodations, supported by her attentive, dedicated teachers, Mary Jane and Whitney, who closely monitor her progress. Through C.A.R.E.S she also gains real-world experiences with community-based job training. Today, Bella loves school. Thanks to C.A.R.E.S, her teachers, and the entire EDW community,
with exceptionalities. Games, activities, snacks, snow cones, and more are provided and the whole event is worked by the EDW clubs and athletic programs.
Their second annual event, just started last year, is called Cardinal Idol which acts as an American Idol-esque talent show and collaborates with VCH's HOPE program, St. Francis ' s GIFT program, and St. Joseph's GRACE program. Here, students get to perform their favorite songs on stage in the gym surrounded by their friends and student body. Each participant receives a trophy for being in the event. As a schoolonly event, students from EDW, VCH, and St. Francis can participate in the performing aspect while the students from St. Joseph's GRACE program watch and participate in the crowd.
The importance of having a program like C.A.R.E.S and HOPE is something t put into words, according to MJ. The involvement of other faculty, staff, and other students on campus are what make these programs extraordinary for exceptional students. As MJ said, “It makes you believe in hope in the world.”
Tim and Kim Badeaux's daughter Isabella attends EDW as a C.A.R.E.S student, and was diagnosed with a muscle disorder shortly after her birth. Her learning disabilities also became apparent once she
she is a happy, thriving, and confident young woman. C.A.R.E.S has truly been a Godsend, and we are forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible program.”
Like HOPE's Treats at the Track event, C.A.R.E.S also puts on two community events yearly sponsored by the EDW Key Club. The first is Christmas with C.A.R.E.S, a free event open to the public and those
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“MJ and I have done an amazing job, I think, of working together to bring both programs together. We go bowling a lot, and we go on other field trips. They help us with our community event, and their big event is Cardinal Idol and we participate in that every year,” said Gretta Jo. “It gives the students an opportunity to be out in the community with friends, and other students that have the same needs. And, it's not just the same re with in our setting, it's new friends we get to go meet and plan with. It really has been beneficial to both programs.”
“It allows them to make friends, and to be, in a lot of cases, with their siblings. One of my students is the oldest of four, and because we have this program, she can go to school with her siblings. So, it's amazing. It's a phenomenal program, and I'm blessed to be a part of it,” Gretta Jo shared. POV
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JULY HOLIDAY
July, of course, is one of those months in the U.S. that hosts a major holiday—a holiday that has lived rent-free in your brain for so long that just saying the month's name makes you start planning for it. Such holidays are so traditional in life that you can fully expect to enjoy days off from the workplace, cooking or catering special foods, visiting friends and family, and sometimes watching major sporting events on television.
But before you don that star-spangled cooking apron and fire-up charcoals in the backyard to grill some hot dogs, let me suggest a different July holiday. Consider holding a more unique celebration, one where you honor your very best friend, where you serve some real chow, and instead of watching baseball or tennis watch the Great American Dog Show. That's right: July is host to National Mutt Day. Not quite as historical as our 249th Independence Day celebration on July 4th of this year, the 31st of this month will mark the 20th annual National Mutt Day in the U.S. On that day, Americans recognize and celebrate the diversity of individuals of the species Canis lupus familiaris. And when they say diversity, they really mean diverse: By definition, a mutt is not pure-bred but rather “mixed breed.”
Despite being the least often chosen (although least expensive) canines at Pet Smart or adoption centers, being a mixed breed is actually good. Not only are mixed-bred individuals less likely to inherit genetic health problems but also, because they aren't bred for specific behaviors like hunting or herding or racing, they can deal better with different situations, are easier to train, and tend to have milder temperaments. So instead of raising a Darth Vader pup you can become best of friends with a furry Yoda. And then the Force will be with you. As well as the Friskies.
Mutts are special in other ways, too. It's sometimes said that “no two mutts are alike” because their coats tend to be patchy arrays of different fur colors. So, if you own a mutt, you'll always have one unlike anyone else's. And, in general, mutts tend to have greater intelligence than pure-breds, not only because of their diverse genetic background but also because of their broader experience of the environment: Because pure-breds are often a significant investment for their owners, they're more often than not kept indoors living the bougie life instead of roughing it like a mutt. Of course, measuring a dog's intelligence is not always easy or precise: One common test is putting a towel over its head and timing how long it takes for the dog to remove it. Despite this imprecision, the towel test seems to be preferred by human pet owners because, like dogs, humans don't like written tests, especially timed ones.
Mutts are all around us. When you see a dog out in your neighborhood, it's likely a mutt. Though it's not impolite to call the neighborhood mutt a mutt, this was not always so. “Mutt” is a contraction of the word “muttonhead,” so coined in the 19th century to refer to a stupid or foolish person. That's because sheep, the meat of which is called “mutton,” are apparently not very smart. The earliest appearance of “muttonhead” in print occurred in an 1803 political commentary by Thomas Fessenden, where he writes “Mankind are bored enough with scholastic mutton heads on commencement day; but to have the wretches continually grinding on their patience from the columns of a newspaper is past endurance.” Now, I'm not entirely certain what that 19th century doggerel (pun intended) means, but its sounds like Mr. Fessenden is jealous of professors writing for popular media. That's too bad. His fur was probably of a single color, and he was likely trapped under a towel as a child. Clearly, the Force is not with him.
Though the term “muttonhead” is as old as the Louisiana Purchase, that's purely a coincidence. However, it's claimed that an incredulous Josephine used the newly coined moniker on
Napoleon after interrogating him with “They paid you what per acre?!” Nonetheless, it took nearly 100 years for “muttonhead” to be contracted to "mutt.” C.L. Cullen first used the term in his work Tales of the ExTanks , a collection of syndicated stories about the fictional “Harlem Club of Former Alcoholic Degenerates” who are said to have met “weekly over glasses of milk and seltzer to tell stories about their pasts.” Cullen ' s story character uses “mutt” to refer to slow racehorses—those that are not “thoroughbred.” Thus, in its very first usage, even before it was used to describe dogs, the word “mutt” implied genetic diversity. And genetic diversity is good.
After so many decades, however, the term “mutt” is no longer such a hateful and derogatory term. In fact, it's often used as a term of endearment in diverse aspects of Americana. Even humans, fictional and real, are called Mutt. Famous across several generations of Americans, the cartoon characters "Mutt and Jeff" debuted in 1907 and ran for nearly 80 years. “Mutt” is also the name of the son (played by Shia LaBeouf--Hollywood's spelling) of Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood in the fourth Indiana Jones movie—a great American film franchise. And there's the famous record producer Mutt Lange who has loaned his name to a diversity of records by American artists like Shania Twain, Lady Gaga, Heart, the Cars, Michael Bolton, Bryan Adams, Huey Lewis and the News, Maroon 5, and Louisianan Britney Spears (who knows the correct way to spell LeBoeuf). And the infamous 1970s TV character Archie Bunker of "All in the Family" called his son-in-law "meat-head," which no doubt derives from “muttonhead.”
As descendants of immigrants that joined “the Great Melting Pot” that is America, the general public in this country is pretty diverse genetically. Know what that means? That's right! It means that we have a second July holiday to celebrate our history, as well as honoring our labradoodles and serving snickerdoodles. So launder that starspangled cooking apron and wear it again on the 31st. And should you grill any on that day, be careful to refer to them only as “frankfurters.” POV Catch up on the people, places, and moments that make our community shine. | houmatimes.com/publications/point-of-vue
Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo
July 3-5
Fourchon Pavilion, Port Fourchon
Fish, eat, dance and win at the annual Tarpon Rodeo! Proceeds provide college scholarships and school equipment for South Lafourche students. Rodeo tickets are $35. Each ticket earns you entry into the fishing tournament, a free ditty bag, a shrimp dinner and chances to win door prizes. The rodeo is filled with events for the entire family: live music, a cook-off, food, fishing craft vendors, an auction, raffle and door prizes. Congratulations to this year 's Rodeo Admiral Chett Chiasson.
Let Freedom Ring Festival
July 4, 3 p.m.- 10 p.m.
Peltier Park, Thibodaux
The 24th annual Let Freedom Ring features live music, food trucks, craft booths, a bicycle decorating contest and bicycle parade, silent and live auctions, cornhole tournament and an opening ceremony featuring a color guard from Thibodaux High JROTC, flag-raising with local veterans, a bugle playing of Taps and a 21-gun salute by the United Veterans League. Be sure to stay for the fireworks display at 9 p.m.
4th Annual Juice Fest
July 13, 4 p.m.
Courthouse Square, Downtown Houma
DeeJay Juice is giving back to his community through music and education. Along with being an educator in Terrebonne Parish, he fosters unity among students through teaching and a
unique “Character Tour,” and also serves as DJ for elementary and secondary schools across our area. The festival promises a diverse lineup, featuring music from all genres, dynamic dance/ school organizations, and captivating live bands and artists, raffles, scholarship, and giveaways. With your support, we can further cultivate unity in our community while boosting the economic status of local businesses. The free festival is family-friendly, with no alcohol.
Lady’s Coco Classic
July 17-19
Coco Marina, Cocodrie
The 10th Anniversary of the Lady's Coco Classic Fishing Rodeo will start check-in on July 17 at 4 p.m., with two full days of fishing and fun, all to raise money for the Autism Society. Join “Reel” Women fishing for a cause! On Friday, there will be a seafood cook-off with live music starting at 4 p.m. Enjoy door prizes, Anglers boutique, raffle tables, silent auction, and half and half tickets. On Saturday, live music starts at 12 p.m. The evening ends with awards and a shrimp boil.
Island Strong Music Fest
July 17-19
Tarpon Rodeo Pavilion
The three-day festival will feature live music, food, craft booths and various other vendors that will support Grand Isle's recovery from Hurricane Ida. All proceeds go to rebuilding Grand Isle's recreational facilities and other projects vital to the town's recovery. For a music line-up, please visit islandstrongmusicfest. com. POV
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