LIFESAVER PATRON: Beth and Richard Gaiennie
DEFENDER OF LIFE PATRONS: Tommi and Joel Angelle; Gregory Consulting and Controls: Blaise Gregory and Aaron Travasos; Mills Family Foundation
LOVER OF LIFE PATRONS: State Rep. Beau and Kaci Beaullieu; Stephen and Penny Bienvenu; State Rep. Julie Emerson; Dr. James and Kathleen D. Godchaux; Dr. Kim and Bonnie Hardey; Erica and Blase Inzina; State Rep. Jacob Landry; State Rep. Brach and Carly Myers; Bruce and Stacy Montesano; Greg and Paige Roussel; Rucks Family Foundation; Dr. Jerome and Germaine Smith
FRIEND OF LIFE PATRONS: Acadiana Pregnancy Center & Clinic; Melanie and John Bienvenu; State Reps. Troy Hebert, Josh Carlson, Chad Boyer, and Chance Henry; Kishbaugh Construction; Joseph & Carla Montesano; O’Pry Law Firm; Sugar ‘n Spice Acadiana’s Preschool; Parker and Carrie Templeton; Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods Inc.; Brandon Vidrine
BAR SPONSOR: Sewart Supply, LLC
LIFE PATRONS: Patrick D. Briese, DDS; U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy; Clark Integrated Medical Clinics and Godchaux Wealth Management; State Treasurer John Fleming, M.D.; U.S. Senator John Kennedy; Gerald and Terri Landry, State Farm; Governor Jeff Landry and First Lady Sharon Landry; Secretary of State Nancy Landry; New Life Pregnancy Center; Our Lady of Lourdes Health; Grant and Nicky Pecoraro; St. Pius Community; Dr. Zeb and Christie Stearns; Spirit and Truth Church
PROGRAM SPONSOR: Pel Hughes, Inc.
Tommi and Joel Angelle
Representative Beau and Kaci Beaullieu
Dr. Melanie and John Bienvenu
Stephen and Penny Bienvenu
TJ Burgess
Benjamin and Kristen Clapper
Dr. Daniel and Megan Domingue
Ray and Stephanie Domingue
Raymond and Nancy Domingue
Greg Duplechain
Representative Julie Emerson
Beth and Richard Gaiennie
Dr. James and Kathleen Godchaux
Blaise Gregory
Hannah Guilliam
Dr. Kim and Bonnie Hardey
Blase and Erica Inzina
Representative Jacob Landry
Paul and Kate Migues
William and Sandra Mills
Bruce and Stacy Montesano
Representative Brach and Carly Myers
Jonathan and Angelle Pearce
Suzanne Pergola
Krystal Romero
Greg and Paige Roussel
William and Catherine Rucks
Dr. Jerry and Germaine Smith
Aaron Travasos
A message from Representative Myers and Representative Beaullieu:
“We see the passion Louisiana Right to Life has for unborn babies and their mothers each year at the State Capitol. Their work protecting life has led to generations of lives saved! We are honored to be Chairs of the Acadiana Proudly Pro-Life Gala and ask you to join us in supporting their important work!”
Aussie-American Nick Vujicic was born in 1982, to the shock of his parents and doctors; without limbs. There was no medical conclusion as to why he was born this way, but in spite of his physical limitations, his courage and tenacity for life have caused him to become one of the biggest motivational speakers in the world, known as an expert on resilience and reframing challenges.
As a teenager Nick began trading stocks and options, and bought his first real estate investment at age 19. At 21 he graduated from college in Australia with a double major in accounting and financial planning.
Nick has traveled to 81 countries, presenting on 3500 stages, to crowds as large as 800,000 people. He works with education ministries of various nations, live streaming his anti-bullying messaging to youth, and also developed the Attitude Is Altitude Curriculum, helping to enforce values and positive attitudes for Gen Z.
Meeting 25 Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Vice Presidents and at the same time addressing rescued human trafficked victims and orphans, Nick has a message of hope for everyone.
Nick married his beautiful wife in early 2012 and they have four children; two boys, and twin girls. They moved from Southern California to Dallas, Texas in mid 2020, where they currently reside today.
Nick has a mission and mandate to change the world for the better - one person at a time; using his life and example as a testimony of hope, helping people to find their value and purpose, and also encouraging them to partner together, with generosity and love, to be the change - one day at a time, using the tools they have been given.
Patrice Lewis has been associated with Acadiana Pregnancy Center and Clinic (APCC) in Lafayette, LA since 2003. Ms. Lewis has served in multiple capacities at APCC, including as a lay peer counselor, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director, and since 2012, as Executive Director. Founded in 1985, APCC is a non-profit medical clinic and educational resource whose mission is “to pursue GOD’s direction to minister to the woman who is pregnant,
the father of the child and to both parties’ physical and spiritual needs”, which includes offering Christian alternatives to abortion.
In the past 20 years, Ms. Lewis has witnessed the growing yet revolutionizing impact APCC continues to have in Acadiana as women and men experiencing unplanned pregnancies continue to seek a haven for themselves and for their pregnancies. Ms. Lewis’s mission is to serve women and teenage girls in the community with compassion and truth, and she believes strongly, especially since the dismantling of Roe, that crisis pregnancy centers are one of God’s chosen instruments to impact the local community, our state, and our world. To that end, APCC has expanded its educational family services to include sessions that encompass physical, emotional, and spiritual life skills. Ms. Lewis also mentors new clinic directors in the Acadiana region to help them create ways to reach women more effectively in their own areas.
Ms. Lewis is a 2004 graduate of the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (ULL), where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Studies. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix.
Ms. Lewis is active in her church, Christian Life Center, where she serves on the church Board. She seeks daily to help teens and women to value themselves and to introduce them to the version of themselves God intends them to be. She is a member of Concerned Women for America and Citizens for a New Louisiana. Ms. Lewis also enjoys sharing her experience with new pregnancy center directors to help them fulfill their passions of serving pregnant women in their communities.
Coteau Grove provides tight, lively music, great vocals and mesmerizing harmonies and is unique in its mission of supporting nonprofit organizations.
Coteau Grove consists of Chris Foreman, Larry Menard, Charlie Rees, David Varisco, Sharona Thomas, Bryan Perrin, and Keith Myers. It was Keith who first conceptualized the idea of this project and its charitable mission. It became a reality when four friends he’s admired on stage for many years agreed to join him for what started out as monthly jam sessions in the “band cave” on his family thoroughbred horse farm - Coteau Grove Farms. What ensued was something bigger than they could have ever imagined.
Fueled by friendship, camaraderie, and a shared love for music, Coteau Grove was off to the races!
Finally, as fate would have it, the opportunity to pursue his passion for music, combined with the Myers family’s passion for helping others presented itself. He sought out, as he puts it, “the best musicians I know to help make a dream come true.”
Larry, Charlie, Dave, and Chris, along with the original bass player, Lance Lafargue, who make up the band Atchafalaya, were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2013. They have performed extensively throughout the U.S. and overseas, live and on nationally televised shows. They also produced four critically acclaimed albums and to this day have a large, loyal fan base. They continue to be in high demand and feel extremely lucky and blessed to be keeping Atchafalaya alive and performing for their fans (and themselves) at a variety of venues around the country.
Keith, aside from his role as a leading national healthcare services executive, has managed to find time over the years to perform on stage with his close friend Tracy Lawrence from time to time.
As abortion was legalized across America by the Supreme Court in 1973, the pioneers of the right to life movement in Acadiana, Dr. William l. Smith, Dr. Zerben H. Bienvenu, Dr. Wilton Bergeron, and other individuals and families, united with the goal to ensure Acadiana would resist the advance of the culture of death. Their sacrifices created one of the most pro-life regions of the nation, keeping abortions at bay in Acadiana. Their model of pervasive education in every arena was built upon authentically scientific and logically accurate about the dignity of each life.
While the pro-life spirit of Acadiana remains, education is not as strong as it once was. In 2018, statistics showed that 461 women from the 7-parish region had abortions.
To preserve the pro-life spirit of Acadiana and save the tragic lives lost to abortion, the Fund for Acadiana Pro Life Education has been established in honor of Drs. Bienvenu and Smith to develop and sustain a pro-life educational initiative for all of Acadiana by encouraging young people to become advocates for the unborn, elderly, and terminally ill.
The Fund, in partnership with Louisiana Right to Life, offers educational presentations and training programs to all schools, churches, and other organizations at no charge. The educational programs can easily be brought in as an additional resource to your current programs.
Married to Penny for 45 years and we have 3 sons and 7 grandkids. Growing up I coached all 3 kids in all
sports and loved every minute of it. Our family spent vert good quality time traveling across the
Southeast US in Tournaments in all sports!! I retired 8 years ago after 43 years working for the same
Natural Gas Transmission Company. Started off as a Maintenance Man and ended up being VP of Human
Resources for the last 12 years of employment for a company of 1,500 employees and covering 13
states. During my career I was fortunate to serve on several Industry related Boards to name a few
Southern Gas Association, Louisiana Gas Association and Louisiana One Call Boards . We are active
members of St John’s Cathedral parish and currently President of the Carmelite Monastery Men’s Guild
which is a BLESSING and Mother tells me that Dad & I were the first Father-Son duo to hold the office.
Eleven years ago the Bienvenu-Smith families started up the Pro-Life Fund and since others on the Board
were very busy in their carriers & families I stepped up and took on the President role and have worked
with Ben Clapper and whoever the local Director was at the time to assist supporting the Pro-Life efforts
through out Acadiana! I was fortunate to come from a family of 7 kids with great parents that set the
best example you could ask for with their faith and love to all their kids. Still today all seven are close
and there to support each other as needed. I am blessed to have Penny as a Great wife, Mother and
Grandmother to our family!
Erica started with Louisiana Right to Life in 2023 as a legal intern after a law school course on slavery and racism ignited her passion for pro-life advocacy. Today, she serves as Louisiana Right to Life’s Policy Director. In this role, Erica works closely with elected officials and stakeholders to craft legislation and strategically plan pro-life policy implementation. Additionally, she oversees the Lawyers for Life division and promotes pro-life activities in the Acadiana region serving simultaneously as Louisiana Right to Life's Acadiana Director.
Like many in the pro-life movement, Erica’s path toward activism was hardly direct. She is the first to admit that she was once “personally pro-life” but not actively interested or involved. It was reflection upon her life experiences – including being the product of an unfortunate teen pregnancy, being blessed by the selfless gift of adoption, having children of her own, and experiencing devastating pregnancy losses – that moved her toward a more decidedly pro-life position. However, when studying the social, scientific, and legal justifications for other human rights injustices as a second-year law student, Erica drew the connection between them and modern pro-abortion arguments. Erica focused her academic research and writing on these parallels and has since studied and written about other abortion-related legal issues including the regulatory problems of abortion pre- and post-Dobbs and the use of private enforcement actions in the context of abortion laws. The combination of personal experiences and her legal education have compelled Erica to use her position and influence to speak for the most vulnerable among us and to work toward the reversal of what she considers the most grave human rights violation of our time.
Prior to pursuing a legal career, Erica taught middle and high school English and history and immensely enjoyed encouraging young people to make the world a better place. Outside of work, Erica volunteers in her community and with her church parish as the Pro-Life Coordinator and a baptism preparation facilitator.* One of her greatest joys outside of her family is encouraging women – especially her daughters and former students – to reject the notion that one cannot have a family and maintain a meaningful career.
A native of West Monroe, Louisiana, Erica has a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and a Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University. She and her husband, Blase, are residents of Lafayette where they raise their five children.
Benjamin Clapper has committed his life to speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. His expertise in the pro-life movement ranges from the political and legislative realm to youth education and activism.
Benjamin serves as the Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life. Louisiana Right to Life, established in 1970, works through education, activism, public policy, and service to preserve the right to life in Louisiana. During his years with Louisiana Right to Life, Benjamin has helped grow Louisiana Right to Life into a organization making an impact for life from the State Capitol to high school classrooms across the state. During his time working to advance pro-life legislation, Louisiana has been at or near the top of the list of most pro-life states in the nation.
In addition to Louisiana Right to Life, Benjamin serves the national pro-life movement in a number of capacities. Through his work with the National Right to Life Victory Fund, Benjamin has worked on the political side to elect pro-life leaders to office. He also helped start pro-life youth training programs in many states through the “Life and Leadership Youth Camp Initiative.”
Benjamin is also the Executive Producer of the award-winning short adoption documentary film I Lived on Parker Avenue which has since been turned into an internal feature-film, Lifemark, that has been viewed by millions across the globe.
Benjamin’s dedication to the pro-life movement began in late high school in his hometown of Mobile, AL, but was stregthened in college as he actively worked with Students for Life of America and went on to found Louisiana Students for Life. In 2013, Benjamin was honored to receive a top award from SFLA.
Benjamin graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 2007 as the Ignatian Award winner for Outstanding Male Graduate. At Loyola, he was blessed to meet his future wife, Kristen, through their collaboration on pro-life activities. Kristen and Benjamin reside in Mandeville with their four beautiful daughters: Kate, Mary Rose, Julia, and Claire.
