(Baton Rouge) – In October, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation hosted The Angel Award Gala, where nine Louisianians were honored for their work improving the lives of the state’s children.
On Nov. 21, the Foundation will air a statewide broadcast so all Louisianians can celebrate the 2022 Angel Award honorees and hear their stories.
“In the spirit of Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday, we want to let all Louisianians hear about ways our Angels are making a difference in communities across the state,” said Foundation President Michael Tipton. “We hope their work will inspire others to get involved in volunteer service and to consider nominating an Angel for next year’s award.”
Those chosen to receive the Angel Award in 2022 were:
- Alecia B. Bergeron (Baton Rouge), a teacher at Blue Bridge ASL Academy, where she teaches communication skills to deaf and hard-of-hearing students
- Kim Bowman (Baton Rouge), co-founder of the Bella Bowman Foundation, which provides support to families of children with complex or terminal illnesses
- Michael Champagne (St. Martinville), the superior at Community of Jesus Crucified, which serves those living in poverty in and around St. Martinville
- Jan B. Daniels (Monroe), a youth development coordinator at the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, where she has taught 55,000 people how to help teens avoid suicide
- Robert J. Fritscher (Madisonville), the founder of JoJo’s Hope, where he and others coach children with physical and developmental disabilities in swimming
- Jennifer Johnson Karle (Natchitoches), the CEO of Cane River Children’s Services, which delivers services to young women who are victims of abuse and neglect
- Leslie Lacy (Baton Rouge), the founder of Fostering Hope Louisiana, which provides braces for children in foster care while offering oral health and life skills training.
- Melissa Sawyer (New Orleans), co-founder and CEO of the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), the first comprehensive juvenile re-entry program in Louisiana
- Velika Hurst-Trahan (Lake Charles), a Blue Cross employee and long-time volunteer and board member of Family and Youth Counseling Agency, which provides mental health services to thousands of people in southwest Louisiana
The Angel Award will air on LPB and stream via Facebook Live on Nov. 21
A statewide broadcast will air on all LBP stations and the Blue Cross Foundation’s Facebook page Monday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. to share the stories of all nine Angels.
More information about the Angel Award is available online at www.BCBSLAFoundation.org.
Follow the Blue Cross Foundation on social media (@BCBSLAFound) to see posts, videos and original graphic designs featuring this year’s Angel Award honorees. You are welcome to like, share or repost to your personal social media.
About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation works each day to improve the health and lives of Louisianians by empowering everyday people to do extraordinary good. By building and funding coalitions of friends, families and neighbors, the Foundation hopes to build a healthier Louisiana, particularly for its children.
The foundation is funded solely by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, but is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity. Since 2020, Blue Cross and the Blue Cross Foundation have invested more than $25 million in Louisiana’s communities and nonprofits who provided more than 24 million points of service, including $15 million to communities affected by COVID-19 and natural disasters.
