The Neighbor I Was Intended to Be: Aspiring to Live Up to My Purpose
by Cherie Hebert
At the onset of the pandemic, my business life drastically changed. My business partner retired, and all my employees started working from home. I was left going to a nice, empty office building off of Kaliste Saloom. So, when another business approached me and offered to purchase the building — I began to seek another home for BBR Creative. I envisioned a collaboration house versus traditional offices. I wanted a place for us to come together and collaborate — but not in a traditional office like before. I found the Morgan-Anders house on South Pierce Street, which was within walking distance of downtown on the north side of Congress. I knew this house was not considered to be in the “best” section of town to invest in — but I loved the house, the nearness to downtown and the history. It had a great vibe and a great parking lot 😊 So I became a part of the LaPlace neighborhood.
Soon after that, I realized the neighborhood coterie needed a meeting place, so I let them use our space on a monthly basis. I began to see investment in the neighborhood and improvements being made through LPTFA and other businesses. I realized the pride and commitment of the neighbors to keep LaPlace a safe and engaged community. I also realized the challenges that we as a community face with the unsheltered, the hungry, the mentally ill, the addicted, homeless families — people in dire straits.
Catholic Charities has a large presence in the LaPlace community. Their impact is big, but their challenges are sometimes bigger. They need our support, because they cannot solve all of these social problems themselves. They need the help of concerned and caring businesses and citizens. People that share the belief that societal problems are all of our problems.
At BBR we have long held an altruistic view of the world, rooted in the views and values of our founders. Our fundamental belief of treating others with respect and dignity, no matter their station in life; treating our employees fairly and investing in their personal development; creating an environment of growth and enrichment; being invested in the growth of our client’s businesses and giving back to the community. All of this led to the development of our stated purpose as a business: To deliver goodwill and growth to the businesses we serve, the people we employ and the communities in which we live.
I aspire to live up to that purpose every day. BBR first helped Catholic Charities by hosting Hygiene for Humanity, an annual drive to collect hygiene items to supply the hygiene center. Our team members have served meals at the St. Joseph Diner, which is always a humbling experience. I helped strategize the Sharing Spirits series, which is a series of fund-raisers held in homes to raise funds for Catholic Charities of Acadiana. The first one, Bourbon on The Bayou, was hosted by Anne and Wayne Daigle. I, along with nine other host families, hosted Zydeco in Carencro in October. BBR is currently helping to conceptualize a campaign to solicit recurring donors to support the programs of Catholic Charities, with the goal of gaining 400 new monthly donors. As a business owner, I am also advocating for unmet needs in this community to help them do their work — like increased safety and city financial support. I am proud to be a partner of Catholic Charities of Acadiana, and to help them in the best way that I can. It comes naturally for me and BBR Creative to care about the world and people around us. So being located in this neighborhood, near the work of Catholic Charities of Acadiana, seems like the place we were intended to be — doing the work God intended us to do.
Cherie Hebert is an original founder of BBR Creative, a creative marketing agency, that originated in 1997 in Lafayette and has helped more than 650 brands with marketing to grow their brands and build their businesses.