Richard Guidry (1949 – 2008) contributed greatly to the education and preservation of the French language. This educator, author, actor and consultant dedicated his life to keeping the Cajun and Creole dialects alive in South Louisiana. The Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund was established to support projects and initiatives that encourage, increase and improve the use of the multiple varieties of French in Louisiana, especially their spoken use in public, in the arts and in education. This includes, (but is not limited to) scholarships for students or non-students, aid for classroom projects, as well as research, cultural initiatives and media projects for the wider community.

The Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund, a fund of Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA), has awarded a $2000 grant to Jimmie Louis-Marie of Myrtle Place Elementary. The grant will fund a video project featuring Les étoiles de Louisiane, a French choral group composed of French immersion students of all ages directed by Louis-Marie. Photo L-R: Jimmie Louis-Marie, Les étoiles de Louisiane Director; Eric Broussard; Brenda Mounier, coordinator of the Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund; Zachary Richard, Cajun singer/songwriter

David and Nathan Rabalais are the recipients of a $1,400 grant to support their feature-length documentary film entitled Finding Cajun. The grant, awarded by the Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund, is a fund of Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA).

Finding Cajun presents a critical and historically informed perspective on the origin and evolution of Cajun identity and the complex issues being debated today.
“Through a comparative approach, I examine how this relates to Acadian identity in present-day maritime Canada, a community that is supposedly the historical root of Cajun ethnicity,” said Nathan Rabalais.