LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT'S DISABILITY AWARENESS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES 2024 AWARD WINNERS

Lafayette, LA – The Lafayette Mayor-President’s Disability Awareness Committee held its annual awards ceremony on October 8, 2024, at the Robicheaux Recreation Center, honoring outstanding individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the disability community in Lafayette.

The awards recognize exceptional leadership, service, and advocacy. This year’s recipients exemplify dedication and commitment to making Lafayette a more inclusive community.

Award Recipients:

• Non-Profit of the Year: Acadiana Therapeutic Riding Organization

  The Non-Profit of the Year Award is given to a disability related non-profit organization in Lafayette that has, in some way, distinguished itself as a premier resource for the Lafayette Disability Community. New programs, grants, community outreach, and offering enhanced services or community participation activities for people with disabilities are some ways that an agency might garner recognition as a premier resource. 

• Business of the Year: TheraCare Music Therapy of Lafayette

  The Business of the Year Award is presented to a Lafayette Business for going the extra mile in service of the Lafayette Disability Community. The award can be given for being a model employer of people with disabilities, for offering programs and activities that encourage participation and promote positive social engagement for the Lafayette Disability Community, or for other actions that benefit people with disabilities and their families in ways that promote inclusion and belonging.
  

• Public Servant of the Year: Melanie Lavergne

  The Public Servant of the Year Award is given to a person who, through their actions as a public servant, have provided support, opportunity, and belonging to people with disabilities in the Lafayette Disability Community.
  

• Youth of the Year: Landon Hanks

  The Youth of the Year Award is given to a young person, under the age of eighteen, who has distinguished themselves as an advocate for people with disabilities or who has performed actions that have, in some way, provided substantial and lasting benefits to people with disabilities and the Lafayette Disability Community.
  

• Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award: Alaina Yount

  The Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award is given in recognition of any actions, by an individual, that demonstrate extreme dedication to the Lafayette Disability Community that result in profound advancements in support, inclusion, belonging, and access. The Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award is reserved for members of the Lafayette Community who have risen above expectations and have devoted themselves to promoting opportunities for people in the Lafayette Disability Community.
  

• Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award: Lillian DeJean
• The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award is given to an adult, eighteen and older, who has distinguished themselves as an outstanding advocate and representative of the Lafayette Disability Community. The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award recognizes personal achievements by a person with disabilities and honors the efforts of that person for giving back to the Lafayette Disability Community.
  

The Lafayette Mayor-President's Disability Awareness Committee continues to champion efforts that foster equality, awareness, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities across the region. The awards ceremony serves as a reminder of the importance of working together to create a more inclusive society for all.

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