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- 'Heroes Down South': Meet Acadiana's top St. Jude fundraiser
'Heroes Down South': Meet Acadiana's top St. Jude fundraiser
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NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- The top community fundraising teams for St. Jude Children's Hospital are from Acadiana.
'Heroes Down South' in New Iberia is the top community fundraiser, raising more than $350,000 this year. They first achieved this title in 2018.
Tammy Derouen said the group is made up of about 70 volunteers, and not a single one of them has children that are patients at St. Jude. Instead, they do it because they care about other people's children who are patients.
"There's is a big percentage of active and passed patients that come out of Louisiana," Derouen said. "Whenever we were able to tour the hospital, you'd be amazed in the parking lot at that hospital, about how many license plates are from Louisiana. There's just something about this area, unfortunately, but I think that's why people feel so strong."
Nicole Smith of Heroes Down South said their community feels strongly about St. Jude's mission.
"New Iberia is not a rich community. Coming together, raising money and the community supporting us is amazing," Smith said. "When you say, 'St. Jude', everyone comes together, everyone believes in it."
Another group from Acadiana that made the Top 3 is 'FUNraiser's for St. Jude.' The group from Rayne raised $253,400. The other teams in the Top 4 are also from Louisiana.
They celebrated their accomplishments earlier this month at the St. Jude Marathon.
Mike and Gretchen Chauvin organize multiple fundraisers throughout the year. They said the patients lining the race routes held signs that said, "This is hard, but chemo is harder. Keep going."
"That's what we do it for," Mike Chauvin said.
Those children on the route inspired others their age in Acadiana to give back. Heroes Down South's youngest team member, Isla, is only 10 years old.
While the team was originally only six people hosting one event a year, it grew into around 70 people hosting over 10 events a year.
In true Louisiana fashion, they saved can tabs in crawfish sacks. Gretchen Chauvin said the tabs from coke cans and beer cans earn them money.
"We brought eight sacks in," Chauvin said. "That helped us pay for chemo treatments and helped us pay for housing for parents."
To participate in their next fundraiser, fund their event calendar here. To be a part of the fundraising group, they said no sign up is required- just participate in the events.