1. P.O. Box 98022  Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70898-9022  Telephone: (225) 298-7979  Fax: (225)298-3175
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact:
Sept. 14, 2016 Lauren Cathey, (225) 298-7826
Michael Tipton, (225) 297-2849
Blue Cross Foundation Announces 2016 Angel Award® Honorees
Ten individuals to be recognized for outstanding service to children at October event
(Baton Rouge, LA) — This October, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Foundation will honor ten everyday Louisianians doing extraordinary good for the state’s
children at the 2016 Angel Award® ceremony.
This year’s honorees were chosen from a record number of nominations from across the
state. Each Angel will receive a $20,000 grant to the charity of their choice to deepen the
impact of their work.
The work of the 2016 class of Angels ranges from supporting Louisiana’s foster children
to community development and education. And while each has had a profound effect on
the lives of children, he or she started out by making a simple decision to do good for
just one child – an important theme to the Angel Award.
“Each of our Angels began their work by making the courageous decision to do
something simple to help a child. Their work simply grew from there,” says Foundation
president Michael Tipton. “We hold these people up because we want to show everyone
how everyday goodness takes hold and spreads in a way that completely changes the
future for our children.”
The stories of each Angel will be told at an invitation-only presentation ceremony to be
held Monday, Oct. 17 at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel. Receiving the Angel Award
this year are:
■ Gerard Barousse, Jr. of New Orleans. Gerard Barousse, Jr. is founder and Chairman
of the Bayou District Foundation, the lead organization in the planning and
development of Columbia Parc in New Orleans.
■ Sonya Brown of Harvey. Brown is a dedicated social worker who has become a
nationally recognized advocate for young people in foster care, particularly those
who are “aging out” of the system. She founded Project18.
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2. ■ Loren Carriere of Opelousas. Carriere founded Hope for Opelousas, a ministry that
is focused on community development, educational support, neighborhood outreach
and intentional, positive relationships.
■ Keith “Keif” Hester of West Monroe. Hester is a physical therapy technician who
goes above and beyond to help children to overcome seemingly impossible odds on
the road to self-sufficiency.
■ Teri Hrabovsky of Jefferson. Hrabovsky and her husband, Brian, have fostered over
50 kids and built One Heart NOLA, a network of volunteers and donors who are ready
to provide necessities for foster families at a moment’s notice.
■ John Lombardo of Thibodaux. One of the youngest Angels, Lombardo has
rigorously pursued a life of service of children through the Thibodaux Kiwanis Club
and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children.
■ Dr. Ruby C. Scroggins of Shreveport. Dr. Scroggins is the principal of J.S. Clark
elementary school, where she has worked to break down the educational barriers
created by poverty by establishing reliable access to food for her students and their
families.
■ John Wondergem of Covington. Wondergem and his wife, Julie, have fostered
dozens of children and opened Louisiana’s first Royal Family Kids Camp, which
provides a summer camp experience just for wards of the state.
Each year, the Foundation also honors a “Blue Angel,” an employee of Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Louisiana who has shown extraordinary commitment to children. This year,
the Foundation has selected two employees – Billie Jean Davis-Lomas and Glenda
Chappell – who, over the last decade, have provided hands-on training, mentoring and
career development to Baton Rouge youth through the local chapter of Black Data
Processing Associates (BDPA). The Foundation will make a $5,000 grant to BDPA in Davis-
Lomas’ and Chappel’s names.
About the Blue Cross Foundation
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation works each day to improve the
health and lives of Louisianians by empowering everyday people to do extraordinary
good. By building and funding coalitions of friends, families and neighbors, the
Foundation hopes to build a healthier Louisiana, particularly for its children. The
foundation is funded solely by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, but is a separate
501(c)(3) nonprofit entity. Together, Blue Cross and the Blue Cross Foundation invest $2.5
million each year into Louisiana’s communities and nonprofits.
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