What is Parish Proud?
Mission, Vision, Values
Parish Proud's vision of creating a Parish that stands as beautiful and vibrant as our culture remains present in our minds daily.
Parish Proud knows that if we, as citizens and organizations, come together to work towards our three E's of eliminating litter, encouraging beautification and enhancing Parish Pride, there's nothing we can't do.
Litter free sidewalks, cleaner waterways, beautiful talent-attracting landscapes... nothing is out of our grasp if we work together.
Parish Proud embraces the idea that citizens have a right to live in a clean, beautiful parish. We embrace the idea that citizens have a right to live in a clean, beautiful parish. We exist to inspire our community to raise its standard of expectations by demanding more from ourselves, our neighbors, our business community, and our government entities.
What are those resources?
Financial:
Supplying not-for-profits funds to pilot, conduct, and/ or evaluate impact-focused projects, specific to Quality of Place (anti-litter, beautification, streetscape, public art)
- In return, not-for-profits, government, and Parish Proud promote these successful projects and additional quality of place initiatives.
- In return, not-for-profits and government commit to playing an active role in the coordination, collaboration, conducting, and cooperation of strengthening the quality of place ecosystem. One byproduct is to build a well-functioning infrastructure “machine” including but not limited that garners grants acquisition, policy advocacy, and project planning, execution, and management.
Knowledge:
Assist not-for-profits to design and develop meaningful programs/projects as well as grant application efforts, specific to Quality of Place (anti-litter, beautification, streetscape, public art)
- In return, Parish Pride promotes ecosystem organizations and their programming.
Enable the local business community to make it simple to create better habits within beautification areas.
- In return, Parish Proud promotes these businesses for their good habits.
Equip local and state governments to design and develop better legislation and initiatives that result in a cleaner parish.
- In return, Parish Proud promotes government efforts in support of our mission.
Volunteer:
Provide for-profit, not-for-profit, and government stakeholders with access to passionate people who can enhance the quality of place by their participation, as well as increase the availability and access to attractive spaces.
History
The Beginnings
The concept of Parish Proud spurred out of frustration and disappointment from the citizenry, business community, and local governments with the current state of our community’s physical appearance. Business and community leaders came together on a commitment to improving pride in our parish.
This effort was spearheaded by Matt Stuller, Founder and CEO of Stuller, Inc. Since its inception, Stuller, Inc. has brought innovation upon innovation to the manufacturing of fine jewelry streamlining countless processes.
Seeing the need for streamlining in our own processes of beautifying our community, Matt Stuller created Parish Proud to serve as a unifying presence and that same sort of innovator.
Board of Directors
Chair: Matt Stuller
Founder and CEO of Stuller Inc.
Matt Stuller, a 19-year-old entrepreneur working out of a corner in his father’s orthodontic office, notices the jewelry industry lacking two things: great customer service and fast delivery. He believes that if someone could “just take the customer’s order in a friendly way and get them a quality product in a reasonable amount of time it would probably be a pretty good business model”.
He takes his business on the road — literally. By driving across the South in his Nissan 240Z and going door to door to hand-deliver findings to jewelers, Matt begins to build Stuller, Inc., from the trunk of his car, providing them with a level of customer service exemplary of southern hospitality.
He establishes Stuller’s corporate headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana. He developed a business philosophy of supplying quality merchandise and service with next-day delivery, and that philosophy helped shape Stuller into what it is today: one of the largest wholesale jewelry manufacturers in the United States and an industry leader in jewelry technology.
Angela Morrison
Community Development Manager of Meritus Credit Union
Angela Morrison joined the Meritus Credit Union staff January 2015 and in 2019, she was named the first Community Development Manager for Meritus Credit Union. Angela brings to her present role a 30+ year history of working in community development and public relations, she uses her experience and knowledge to strengthen the Meritus brand throughout all sectors of the area that the credit union serves.
Her prior positions have been with Lafayette Parish School System, as its first Director of Community Collaboration and Partnerships, United Way of Acadiana’s Volunteer Center Director and later Chief of Community Impact, Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs for UL Lafayette, a Human Services Counselor for Lafayette Consolidated Government and case manager for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Acadiana.
Angela contributes her success to her volunteer service. She was elected in 2019, by the Lafayette City/Parish Council, to serve as a trustee for the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority, by her professional peers throughout the southeast region of the continuous United States to represent this area on the national board for Inclusiv (formerly known as the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions), the regional One Acadiana Board and is serving her second year on the Hospice of Acadiana’s Foundation Board.
Angela continues to serve on the council of Past Presidents for UL Lafayette Alumni Association, having served as President of the Association 2017-2018. She has also served on: Women’s and Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees; the boards of, United Way of Acadiana; Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Junior League of Lafayette (Past President); Acadiana Youth; Workforce Investment (LA District 40); Acadiana Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster and the City of Lafayette Commission on the Needs of Women (Past President). Angela is a Leadership Lafayette Class XV graduate.
Her commitment of service to the communities that she loves has been recognized as evidenced by her receiving these awards: 2018 University of Louisiana’s Christiana Smith Alumni Chapter Outstanding Alumni recipient; 2017 National Association of University Women’s A Tribute to Excellence honoree; 2015 Junior Achievement’s Richard E. Baudoin Friend of Business award; 2013 Women Who Mean Business honoree; 2011 and 2001 United Way of Acadiana Cornerstone award recipient; 2011 inducted into University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society as an Outstanding Community Member; 2007 and 2001 Lafayette LA City-Parish President Outstanding Citizen; and in 2005 Lafayette LA City-Parish Woman of Excellence honoree.
She is married to A. Curtis Morrison and they have two sons and four grandchildren.
Carlee Alm-LaBar
President and CEO of United Way of Acadiana
Carlee Alm-LaBar was most recently the Director of Traditional Neighborhood Developments for Southern Lifestyle Development. She worked for Lafayette Consolidated Government for eight years, serving in the Mayor-President’s office under Joey Durel and then Joel Robideaux, who appointed her the Director of Development and Planning.
Prior to her roles in government, she worked more than eight years in the nonprofit sector. She is a graduate of Leadership Louisiana, a current board member and past chair of Leadership Institute of Acadiana, and the Community Vice President for the Junior League of Lafayette.
Carlee has received several community honors including Acadiana’s 20 Under 40 Award and was recognized as a 2015 Women Who Mean Business honoree. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from LSU and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Mike Michot
Senior Director of State Affairs for The Picard Group
Senator Mike Michot serves as Senior Director of State Affairs. Michot was elected to the Senate in 2000, after serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives for one full term. He represented the Acadiana area in the Louisiana Legislature for 16 years.
In his final term in the State Senate, Michot served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, making him one of two Legislative architects charged with the construction of the state’s $28 billion annual appropriation’s bill, funding all aspects of state government. He also served as chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for two years. Additionally, Michot served on several additional Senate committees, as well as the Louisiana State Bond Commission.
Michot owned and operated Premier Medical Equipment in Lafayette for 20 years. He has been active in community service organizations, including the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana, United Way of Acadiana, and the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette’s Opus Christi Magnum fundraiser.
Michot graduated from Cathedral-Carmel High School in Lafayette and University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. He is married to Monique Broussard Michot and has two children, Michael Jr. and Mary Carolyn.
Troy Wayman
President and CEO of One Acadiana
Troy Wayman serves as president and CEO of One Acadiana (1A), the leading economic development agency for the nine-parish Acadiana region located in South Louisiana. With more than 950 investors, members, and partners, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community.
The organization is based in the city of Lafayette and serves a region of roughly 700,000 people with a vibrant culture and unique entrepreneurial spirit. Mr. Wayman joined the organization in 2018. Under his stewardship, 1A is focused on improving the regional business environment, cultivating diversified economic development, and building on 1A’s nationally recognized success in implementing programs that spur economic growth and competitiveness.
With more than 20 years of experience, and as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Mr. Wayman has earned a reputation as a dynamic and trusted professional. Prior to joining 1A, he served as the vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, where under his leadership, the region experienced the creation of more than 8,000 jobs and nearly $3 billion in capital investment. His previous experience also includes roles as the business development director for JESCO Construction, and tourism sales manager and director of economic development for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.
As a civic leader, Mr. Wayman served as a founding board member of the Montgomery chapter of the First Tee, a youth golfing program that teaches life skills through the game of golf. He is a past president of the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) and past chairman of the Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council (SAWDC). Mr. Wayman also served on the boards of Goodwill Easter Seals and the Warrior Tombigbee Waterway Association while in Alabama.
Mr. Wayman is a graduate of Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama and the Economic Development Institute through the department of continuing education at the University of Oklahoma. He was credentialed as a Certified Economic Developer through the American Economic Development Council in 1997.
Mr. Wayman and his wife, Beatriz, are proud parents to daughter, Sophia and son, Ethan.
Programming 2019 - 2020
A look back at this year's successes
Day of Action
In partnership with United Way of Acadiana, Bayou Vermilion District, LCG’s Embrace a Space, and Keep Lafayette Beautiful Parish Proud and volunteers spread out across Lafayette, taking action against litter where they saw it.
In total some 145 volunteers took to the streets collecting 104 bags of trash, enough to fill a rollaway dumpster with several large dumped items inside as well.
Volunteer Center
"We are grateful to Parish Proud for its collaboration and sponsorship of the new phase of the Volunteer Center,” said United Way of Acadiana’s President/CEO Carlee Alm-LaBar. “This is just the next step in a partnership that recognizes the need for connection of volunteer to opportunities.”
August 2020 brought the launch of the Parish Proud sponsored Volunteer Center. The Volunteer Center, run by United Way of Acadiana is a virtual platform which works to match volunteers with like minded organizations to maximize volunteer and organizational potential.
As of December 2020, over close to 600 volunteers within the Lafayette area have contributed hours to some 30+ organizations signed up to the platform.
Both United Way and Parish Proud hope to smash records in 2021 with even more volunteer events, hours, and offerings on the Volunteer Center.
Talking Trash
“Downtown’s existing trash cans are approaching the end of their lifecycle, so it’s time to invest back into this infrastructure,” said Rachel Holland, Director of Planning and Development at DDA. “The lack of resources to dispose of trash is the root of the litter issues downtown, and these new-model cans are going to help us keep Downtown cleaner.”
The Downtown Development Authority partnered with Parish Proud to purchase 28 new trash cans this year, and Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Public Works Department — which contributes to other services in the district like weekly pressure washing and daily sidewalk cleaning — assisted with the installation. This public-private partnership allowed the project to double its impact.
With an increase in foot traffic in the Downtown area from new residential and commercial development, cleanliness in the district is at the forefront as its population continues to grow. And, because more people are ordering take-out from restaurants and dining outside during the pandemic, the need for more receptacles became urgent. The existing trash cans prove both inefficient and ineffective as they are too far spread out and cannot hold trash in. Windy day? Trash everywhere. In addition to now having lids, the new trash can models also have the capacity to hold more trash and are being deployed on the side streets to give pedestrians off of Jefferson Street opportunities to keep downtown clean.
#PickUpLFT
The initiative, which launched in July, aimed to equip citizens with the tools they need to safely pick up litter when and where they want to. These toolkits, purchased and distributed by Parish Proud, provide citizens who want to help, but perhaps are apprehensive about trash, a safe and free way to do so.
While the primary goal of #PickUpLFT was to encourage individuals to pick up litter when and where they can, it also inspired others to take action through leveraging social media. Toolkit participants who posted pictures of their efforts to social media, used the appropriate hashtag and highlighted their litter toolkits were entered to win gift cards from locally owned and operated businesses as prizes.
IBERIABANK Distributes Toolkits
"Lafayette is an incredible place to live, work and play. That's why we're pleased to support Parish Proud. We hope you'll support them to and their efforts to keep our community clean." - Jerry Vascocu, IBERIABANK Acadiana President
As toolkits continued to be in high demand, Parish Proud looked to new partner, IBERIABANK as a new means of distribution.
Each IBERIABANK location was equipped with 10 toolkits for local citizens to grab freely.
Parish Proud and IBERIABANK will continue their partnership into the new year with more toolkit distributions.
Recycle Your Signs!
"My name is Tré Bishop and I am twelve-years old. My dad taught me at a young age to go out and change the world. Last year, I started a pilot program to recycle political signs."
A local 7th grader, Tre Bishop, became frustrated with all the political signs. So in 2019, he started a campaign signage recycling program. In 2020, Parish Proud joined forces with Tre and his passion for beautification and sustainability. Tre wants Lafayette to use the recycled signs to create park benches and sculptures out of the recycled material…so we’re helping him reach that goal!
Parish Proud distributed a pledge to all parish candidates requesting that they make sure their signs are picked up by November 13 and to recycle them at the above locations. We’re also asking residents and organizations to help by recycling residential lawn signs. It’s important to remove the wire stakes before recycling the plastic sign!
Tre has plans to grow this program for future election seasons and Parish Proud will continue supporting this effort to remove visual pollution and enhance our public spaces with benches and art!
CEO's Take to The Field
"You know, many people have asked me over the years why we located Stuller here in Acadiana. We'll it's about the people. - Matt Stuller, Founder and CEO of Stuller, Inc.
Eleven local CEO's participated in a Parish Proud social media campaign showing how easy it is to be "Parish Proud," and pick up litter.
CEO's Included:
Troy Wayman - One Acadiana
Mike Michot - The Picard Group
Carlee Alm-LaBar - United Way of Acadiana
Angela Morrison - Meritus Credit Union
Jerry Vascocu - IBERIABANK
Blaise Zuschlag - Acadian Companies
Matt Stuller - Stuller, Inc.
Kip Schumacher - Schumacher Group
David Callecod - Oschner's Lafayette General
Dr. Joseph Savoie - The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University Corridor Cleanup
"A big thank you to everyone working to keep Lafayette beautiful today, participating in the Parish Proud litter pickup. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. Our appreciation goes out to Matt Stuller and the Stuller Family Foundation for their leadership in founding Parish Proud." - Josh Guillory, Mayor-President.
All across University Avenue volunteers from Parish Proud, United Way of Acadiana, One Acadiana, South Louisiana Community College, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Evangeline Area Scouts came together for a morning of cleaning.
Picking up a total of 1,800 lbs of litter and other items, the day was a rousing success.
Looking forward Parish Proud hopes to keep up the momentum along University Avenue sparking a movement that creates a beautiful entry that all of Lafayette can enjoy.
Sweep Scott For Santa
"We want to be proud of the place that we live in. We want to show them that community is where it's at, and you need to give back to that community to fully enjoy it." - Angela Whittington.
Moving to work in a municipal space in addition to University Avenue, Parish Proud, Republic Waste, the City of Scott and the Scott Kiwanis Club came together for one last cleanup of the year.
Before the arrival of Santa on Christmas Eve Scott picked up some 2.3 Tons of litter across the municipality.
Marketing and Communication
Parish Proud also launched three sperate Newsletters, each of which has garnered praise from other organizations, elected officials and local citizens.
Parish Proud Newsletters:
First Week of the Month: Quality of Place Newsletter
Second Week of the Month: Louisiana Quality of Place Newsletter.
Last Wednesday of the Month: Parish Proud Newsletter.