LAFAYETTE, La. — The 1st annual Paque at the Parc hosted by Easter Encore was held in Parc International where local vendors, food, and traditional Cajun and Creole dancing took place.
All this fun, was also to support and fundraise for St. Jude's Research Hospitals. The FUNraisers, are a local non-profit organization in Lafayette that collects donations from festivals like Paque at the Parc.
Their goal is to raise awareness and money to hopefully one day end childhood cancer.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go directly to helping families in our community who are affected by cancer.
KATC spoke with Cassie Goldsboro, a founding member of the FUNraisers, who says festivals like Paques in the Park can be life-changing for supporting and raising money for children and adults with cancer diagnoses.
"It's very important to my family, my daughter was diagnosed at 12 months with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma," said Goldsboro. "If it wasn't for festivals like this where people that come out and do these kinds of things and support St. Jude, my child wouldn't be here today."
Earlier in the day at the Children's Museum, children enjoyed a game of a Cajun tradition known as egg "paqueing".
The egg smashing game has been a long-standing Easter tradition in Acadiana and comes from the French word for Easter, "Paques".
Event organizer Coby Bailey says to have this be the 1st Annual Paque in the Parc to celebrate Easter Cajun traditions, while also contributing to the local community is significant.
"A lot of the money we raise today will stay here for the people who need St. Jude here locally as well," said Bailey.
For families like Goldsboro and others across Acadiana who are directly affected by cancer, having festivals that donate and support initiatives like this are just thankful for any money raised, as it all goes towards research for a cure.
"For me and so many other families here in Acadiana and worldwide, St. Jude takes this money and that we bring to them and they heal children," said Goldsboro.
Event organizers plan to have Paques in the Parc as an annual festival on every Easter weekend.
To find out how you can get donations to the FUNraisers for St. Jude, visit their website here.
