Member Spotlight

Meet The Labordes

My name is Maria Lapira Laborde. I was raised in Lake Charles and attended OLQH and St. Louis High School. I graduated from LSU and returned to Lake Charles to receive my master’s in Elementary Education. My husband, William, was also raised here and attended ICCS and St. Louis. After graduating from LSU, William attended LSU Shreveport Medical School before completing his residency in Baton Rouge. William works as a physician in the Emergency Department at St. Patrick’s Hospital and Lake Area. We have two children, Margot (3) and Michael (1).

Starting a family in Lake Charles was always a no-brainer for both of us. William and I had similar experiences playing sports and boating throughout Southwest Louisiana as kids. We had already started our family and home renovation when Hurricane Laura hit after experiencing Hurricane Rita while in high school, it was eye-opening for us as adults. We began to think about sustainability and take an interest in coastal protection and restoration. This is when a friend told us about the Community Foundation’s efforts.

It is important for our family to be members of the Community Foundation for several reasons. As a downtown family, we are thrilled with the waterfront development plans and focus on strong downtown communities. We know that having strong businesses off of I10 will create more jobs and tourism opportunities. We also believe the Bayou Greenbelt plan will add an impressive recreation element to Southwest Louisiana. As I mentioned before, we are truly inspired by the Foundation’s focus on coastal flood risk reduction and community resilience. To put it simply, we want to feel safe and prepared for the next storm.

As a whole, the Community Foundation SWLA is focused on highlighting the beautiful things Southwest Louisiana has to offer while also focusing on future development. The Foundation has connected us with like-minded people with a similar passion for our wonderful community and the continued progress of Southwest Louisiana. We are thrilled to be a part of the journey and look forward to supporting the efforts of this great group!