Krewe Royalty

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005, Todd Terrell lost everything - his family’s historic seafood business, their boats, their livelihood. The business, a testament to pioneering spirit, had been started by his great aunt in 1932 during the Great Depression. But from those waters emerged something extraordinary: a calling that would transform personal loss into a mission of hope and restoration through the United Cajun Navy. 

“When you lose everything, sometimes you get angry at God,” Terrell reflects, “But my faith was such that it was like, “ You know what? There’s got to be a better calling for me.” And the next thing you know, we’re helping people, and it’s turned into this. God had a better plan for me.

That better plan has evolved into a remarkable disaster response organization that embodies the principle of beauty rising from the ashes. The United Cajun Navy doesn’t just respond to natural disasters - they’ve created a year round community of care that brings together an unlikely alliance of churches, bikers, boat owners, and volunteers from all walks of life.

Jennifer Richardson is a mother of three and a real estate agent who spends six days a week cleaning up litter from some of Baton Rouge’s busiest intersections in hopes of making a difference. 

 

In January of 2021, she was at the litter infested intersection of Essen Lane and Jefferson Highway. She used the power of the social media platforms Facebook and Nextdoor to take matters into her own hands. and amassed a group of over 40 volunteers to help with the cleanup process.

Now you can find Jennifer and her volunteer group Keep Tiger Town Beautiful out every Saturday scouting locations with industrial trash bags, trash pickers, and good attitudes. Retired members of the group can be found picking up litter daily. Each cleanup session ends with hundreds of pounds of trash collected but beautified roads left behind.