Grant opportunity for Breaux project needs public support

Included in the current revitalization efforts of Franklin’s Historic Main Street lays an empty area of grass and mud waiting for attention.
The concept for the Franklin Main Street Serenity Garden & Mayci Breaux Memorial Amphitheatre is the vision of many citizens within the community. At the opening of the Serenity Garden at Main Street, a sugar kettle fountain will be placed which will symbolize turning something bitter into something sweet.
Near the fountain will be bricks to memorialize victims of violence from Franklin: Braylen Foulcard, Mayci Breaux, Dean Theriot, Alfred Hill, Harold L. DeFils, Kaylen Henry and Charmaine Latterade. Beyond the fountain there will be bricks and grass intertwined the length of the garden that will be available for purchase by anyone wanting to have their family etched in time.
Strewn across the top of the garden will be lights signifying the lights of our community these individuals were. Benches will also be placed within the garden that will be available for sponsorships. Then the open-air Mayci Breaux Memorial Amphitheatre will be available to all in the community to enjoy. Breaux lost her life in the shooting at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette on July 23, 2015.
The Franklin Main Street Design Committee, made up of impassioned citizens and small business owners, became aware of a $100,000 Community Thrives grant by the USA Today Network. However, the grant application and video deadline was the very next day. So the committee called upon two of its community’s volunteers and actors, Ed “Tiger” Verdin and Carolyn Higdon. The planned video was to be a basic, no frills explanation of why the Franklin community should be awarded one of the grants.
The Design Committee, along with Higdon and Verdin’s help, completed the application and submitted the video timely. Last Wednesday began an important portion of the grant process: Community support.
The community portion is one month of online voting to help narrow the hundreds of videos down for the USA Today Network to determine the communities that will truly appreciate this grant. Voting will last until May 12 and the Franklin video may be found at:
act.usatoday.com/submit-an-idea/#/gallery/57490526/
Anyone may vote once per day up until the end of the voting cycle. The winners will be announced shortly thereafter. As the grant has to be attached to a non-profit organization, the Mayci Breaux Memorial Fund will receive the grant if awarded to work with the City of Franklin for the project.
If any interested persons or businesses wish to make any contributions to the Mayci Breaux Memorial Fund they may contact her parents Dondie or Kevin Breaux to do so. For more information or any questions, please contact the Franklin Main Street Design Committee through Arlana Shields at Franklin City Hall (337) 828-3631.