V.P. Chamber of Commerce members vote on name change

With a unanimous vote, the membership of the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce changed the name of the organization to the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce.
The move came Wednesday evening during a special meeting. Executive Director of the Chamber Renee Brown stated during the meeting that the name change had been three years in the making. “Our name change started in about 2015,” she said. “We started talking about changing our name and bringing our entire parish together as a whole and work together to make great things happen for our businesses, our towns, and our parish.”
“Now, we are embarking on that new future that we are so excited about,” she continued. “We’re so excited because the mayors that we have been talking to in the different municipalities are very much for us moving forward with the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce.”
Brown then spoke about plans to reach the different communities and businesses across the parish. “We’re going to do some blitzes in each town and meet with the officials and businesses so we can let people know what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to offer them to come together as a parish.”
According to Brown, plans are in the works to have “a representative on the board from each one of these municipalities.”
The special meeting took place upon the adjournment of the regular meeting that included Executive Director of Louisiana Folk Roots Glenn Fields announcing a new program coming to Evangeline Parish.
Fields stated that he and CODOFIL are “working to start a weekly after school music program that will be at a very minimal cost for the parents and the children to attend. It will follow the school calendar and will be the entire school year.”
He also stated that the program will be available for middle school students between ages 12 and 15.
Also during the meeting, the Chamber members approved the following businesses for membership Frank Butler from Butler Tree Service, Lisa Deen from Tincy’s Corner, Joyce Lartigue from Sisters on the Go, Larry Lachney from Gator’s and Papa Gator’s Cajun Foods, and Leslie Hancock from Union Tank Car.