A newsletter published by "Confederation of Associations of Families Acadian"
January, 2003 - - - - - -James Bourque, Editor
j_bourque@msn.com

IMPORTANT MEETING:   Saturday January 25, 2003 at 10:00 am at St. Martinville City Hall,

St. Martinville, Louisiana.  All family organizations are encouraged to attend to get details about booths and schedule of activities for the Louisiana Purchase Celebration 2003.  An Acadian Memorial tour is planned after the meeting.

GREETINGS:  With the year 2003 well underway, the CAFA family wishes all member family organizations a very successful year.  We are very grateful that so many organization members of CAFA have elected to take part in the Louisiana Purchase Celebration to be held  at the Rayne Civic Center on June 13,14,and 15, 2003.  This will be the most important event of the year for CAFA and family organizations.  Please try to have representatives of your family organization at the next meeting which will be held on Saturday 25, 2003 at the St. Martinville City Hall starting at 10:00 am. We hope to see you there.

ANNUAL CAFA MEETING:  The annual meeting  held on Saturday November 16, 2002 at the Scott City Hall had approximately 75 members and guest attending.  Special guests attending from Nova Scotia were Neil Le Blanc, Minister of Finance and Acadian Affairs, and Vaughne Madden, Director of CMA 2004. Both addressed the group about CMA 2004 and answered questions regarding housing, transportation, and family reunions in general.  They will consider assigning a representative from CMA here in Louisiana as we get close to August of 04. In other action 7 new directors were elected to the 15 member CAFA board. Those elected were: Eddie Richard, Loubert Trahan, Dudley E. Duhon, Daniel C. Guidry, Lea Ann LeJeune, Don Boudreaux, and Carey Le Blanc. The other eight board members that will continue to serve are: Ronald Blanchard, Ruby Melanson, Earlene T. Conover, James Bourque, Betty C. Ducharme, Johnny Comeaux, Woody Hebert, and Shirley Le Blanc. Eddie Richard, chairman of the French Immersion Committee, reported that funds donated by family organizations, private individuals and organizations, and the Canadian Government, were used to purchase materials of instruction for French Immersion students in 39 schools. Over 24,000 books from the Counsel of French Life in America, from the Province of Quebec were distributed by CAFA at no cost to schools that had a need for books. Eddie also reported that with the assistance of the Sunshine Foundation located in Baton Rouge, CAFA is involved in translating into French a children’s book titled “You are Sunshine” by Shirley Porter. These books are to be distributed to younger children involved in the French Immersion Program.  Eddie encouraged the members to continue encouraging the various family organizations to donate money or time to the French Immersion Program.

Following adjournment of the membership meeting, a meeting of the 15 board members was held for the purpose of electing officers who will serve for the next two years.  Elected were: Eddie Richard, President; James Bourque, Vice-President; Shirley Le Blanc, Secretary; and Loubert Trahan, Treasurer. A. J. Le Blanc, retiring president, expressed his pleasure and honor to have served as the first president of CAFA. Wade Dupuis, president of the Dupuis family organization, installed the new officers and new board members. The next annual meeting will be held during November of 2003.

LOUISIANA PURCHASE CELEBRATION:  CAFA has been working for over a year on the plans for this celebration which we hope will include most CAFA family organizations as well as other groups that wish to participate.  It will be held at the Rayne Civic Center in Rayne, Louisiana on June 13, 14, and 15, 2003.  Family organizations are encouraged to have a booth with genealogy as well as items to sell.  The Friday will be for setting up and decorating from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm with a reception by invitation from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.  The Saturday will include the opening ceremonies during the morning with genealogy, entertainment, and food available during the rest of the day.  The Saturday night program will feature the Jambalaya band and dancing from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. The Sunday program consist of a French Mass at the Rayne Civic Center at 10:00 am with an afternoon program at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville, Louisiana for the purpose of dedicating a replica of the deportation cross.  We again urge family organizations and groups planning to have a booth at the celebration to attend the January 25th meeting at St. Martinville City Hall. Currently of the 41 family organizations that are members of CAFA there are 23 that have committed to have booth space and be involved for the June 2003 Louisiana Purchase Celebration. They are: Arceneaux, Babineaux, Benoit, Blanchard, Boudreaux, Bourque, Breaux, Broussard, Cormier, Delhomme, Doiron, Duhon, Gravois, Guidry, Hebert, LeBlanc, Leger, Richard, Roy, Simon, Sonnier, Thibodeaux, and Trahan.  Any other family organization, regardless of ethnic background, can still reserve booth space by contacting CAFA.  In fact we are soliciting groups with Spanish, German, African-American and Native American backgrounds.  We have only 10 booths still available.  Click HERE FOR RESERVATION FORM.  Commercial vendors may also reserve a booth, call for particulars.

FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM: Funds for the French Immersion materials of instruction project by CAFA continues.  Donations from family organizations are still needed and therefore we encourage family organizations to consider making additional donations if they are financially able. Recently the Richard family organization made a $1000.00 donation to be used in the coming school year.  Also making donation to the program are the Woodmen of the World Lodge, Scott, La. gave $1,000.00 and the Lodge in Maurice, La. gave $300.00 with a promise of more to be donated later.   Schools with Immersion programs will be assisted  based on needs that they submit to CAFA. The book “You are Sunshine” which will be translated in French will be distributed by CAFA to all the younger students involved in the French Immersion Program.

UPCOMING EVENTS & MEETINGS:
Go to the Individual Family Web Sites for info on the Individual Families
Click here for Index of Family Websites

TRAHAN: The Trahan Family Association will hold its next meeting on March 29, 2003 at the Woodman of the World Hall, Maurice, Louisiana. A crawfish boil will be served for a nominal charge.

BROUSSARD "BEAUSOLEIL":  The Broussard "Beausoleil" Family Association will have it's winter meeting and reunion on February 1, 2003 at the Woodman Hall in Maurice, La.

GUIDRY:  Les Guidry d’Asteurs will meet on Saturday January 18, 2003 from 10:00 until 12:00 noon at the CODOFIL office in Lafayette.

BLANCHARD: La Famille Blanchard will hold it’s annual meeting on Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 1:00 pm at the Acadian Memorial Building in St. Martinville. Contact Ronnie Blanchard, President, for more information at 504-347-1692.

BOUDREAUX:  The Boudreaux Family Organization will meet on Saturday January 25, 2003 at 1:30 pm at the Scott City Hall, Scott, La.

DAIGLE:  The Association de la Famille Daigle will meet on Sunday February 2, 2003 at 2:00 pm at the Bluebonnet Library in Baton Rouge, La. Speaker for the meeting will be Eddie Richard, President of CAFA, speaking on CMA 2004 and La. Purchase Celebration 2003 to be held in Rayne, La.

LEGER: The Richelier Leger Association will hold it’s next meeting and family reunion on Saturday April 26, 2003 in Abbeville, La.  Check the Leger webpage on the CAFA website for more details.

BOURG/BOURQUE: La Famille Bourg/Bourque Acadienne will meet on Saturday June 14, 2003 during the La. Purchase Celebration in Rayne, Louisiana.  The meeting will be held in the meeting room that will be available for family meetings. The meeting time will be determined later and posted on the CAFA website.

FAMILY MEETINGS: There will be a room available for family organizations desiring to have short meetings during the Louisiana Purchase Celebration on June 14, 2003.  Request can be made at the St. Martinville meeting and 30 minute time slots will be allocated to families during the day when it does not conflict with other activities.

CMA 2004 RESERVATIONS: According to information received, reservations are being accepted for housing at the present time.  It is recommended that you first inquire about housing through the family association(s) for the particular reunion(s) that you wish to attend.   An alternative is to call the Nova Scotia visitor information and reservations service at 1-800-565-0000 and give them the dates and locations where you wish to be housed.  Qualified travel counselors are prepared to assist you with your reservation needs.  You might also want to order the “Nova Scotia 2003 guide for Doers and Dreamers” by calling the same number 1-800-565-0000.  Make sure and specify the English version and also request a map at the same time.  By using this book you can call individual housing establishments direct or reach them via e-mail.

CAFA WEBSITE:  www.cafa.org                            E-MAIL:  lgtrahan@cox-internet.com        

E-MAIL ADDRESS: It is important for every family organization to make sure that CAFA has e-mail addresses for your officers and directors that are in a leadership position.  Keep them updated.

CAFA MAILING ADDRESS:  CAFA, 9515 La. Hwy. 92W., Maurice, LA 70555-3239

NEXT CAFA NEWSLETTER: We will publish the next CAFA newsletter May 15, 2003.

                                                             PASS IT ON

We encourage family organization leaders to pass on this newsletter to their membership via their own newsletter or via their e-mail address book.  Remember the newsletter is on the CAFA website so that all members on the web can view and download if they wish.

REMEMBER

CAFA LOUISIANA PURCHASE CELEBRATION MEETING

Saturday 25 January, 2003 at 10:00 am at St. Martinville City Hall

The Acadian Memorial will be hosting a tour of the Memorial after the meeting.

Restaurants will be open after the Memorial tour for those wanting to eat.

It is still not to late to request booth space for June 13, 14 and 15^th, 2003
Click here for Booth Application Form