LAFAYETTE, La. — It's the start of Festival International de Louisiane week, the largest festival here in the Hub City. With more than 300,000 attendees expected to enjoy the food, music, and culture that makes the week so great, it's going to require a lot of volunteers and organizers are looking for some more help.
But first, how many people does it take to put on a festival? Well, about 2,500 and that's why this year’s festival is asking you to help put together a great experience.
Here's a breakdown of the benefits of being a volunteer:
- Shorter shifts — most time slots are only a few hours long
- Ability to pick your own shift
- Free Festival International volunteer shirt
- An invite to a special volunteer party in May
The Nedervelds have been dedicated volunteers for many years now. Consisting of the parents and their daughter, they cherish the opportunity to spend time together while giving back. Thanks to their countless hours of service at the festival, they're being honored this year with the "Volunteers of the Year" award.
I sat down with Lenny Nederveld who was influenced by his wife to start volunteering — and hasn't looked back since.
“It's fun, I enjoy doing it, it promotes the community, and it’s just a great thing for the city of Lafayette and our whole area," he says. "If you’re a music lover, you can’t go wrong because you’ll be out there listening to the music and volunteering at the same time, it's pretty neat."
The person who started it all for the family is Jody Nederveld, volunteering since Festival International's debut back in 1987 and only missing one year since. She encouraged her whole family to join in on the fun.
“I love it, it's wonderful," Jody tells me. "It keeps festival going without our volunteers, we need those people to keep it going, and it really is a lot of fun. Now that my family is always there too, it’s great,” she says.
For their daughter Rachel, she has no regrets being a volunteer at such a young age alongside her parents.
"Whenever you volunteer for the festival, you get so much pride out of what you are contributing to our community, so weirdly it’s connected my world in so many different ways." "People think it's cool that I volunteer and know the festival so intimately, so it makes the big world even smaller in some ways."
If you're interested in following in the Nedervelds' footsteps, Festival International organizers are still looking for some helping hands. Registration is now open through the online volunteer center. Click here to sign up.
