St. Mary Parish Foundation honors locals Sunday

St. Mary Parish Foundation’s Champagne and Chocolates event recognizing the parish’s 2016 Leaders in Philanthropy Awards recipients and role models from different industries is Sunday.
The event will honor Dr. Alan Hoberman and Dr. Mildred S. Christian (1942 -2009) as St. Mary Parish’s 2016 Leaders in Philanthropy for their generous contributions to the community. Dr. Christian left Shadowlawn, an antebellum mansion, to the St. Mary Parish Chapter of the Louisiana Landmarks Society upon her death in 2009.
In 2011, Dr. Hoberman donated $500,000 to the society’s trust for an endowment for the property and pledged to pay all expenses for maintenance and restoration. To date, he has donated over $175,000 toward this pledge.
The event will also honor the inaugural 2016 St. Mary Parish role models from different industries. The Champagne and Chocolates-themed event will be 4-6:30 p.m. at Shadowlawn in Franklin. Event proceeds will help fund the St. Mary Parish Foundation’s philanthropic activities throughout the year.
The event is sponsored by Brenda and Gregory Hamer, Sr.; Gina and Joe Sanford; and Guidry Mineral Investments, LLC and Thomson Smith & Leach Insurance Group.
The St. Mary Parish Foundation is an affiliate of Community Foundation of Acadiana and has a separate board of directors, specifically for the benefit of St. Mary Parish. The purpose of the St. Mary Parish Foundation is to fund programs which broadly impact St. Mary Parish and to focus on enhancing the quality of life in St. Mary Parish.