LOCAL

Wetlands advocate Jonathan Foret named Terrebonne's Most Useful Citizen

Colin Campo
The Courier
Jonathan Foret (center) receives The Courier's 2022 Terrebonne's Most Useful Citizen from last year's recipients, twins Amos (left) and Percy Mosely. The award was given during the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce's 93rd Annual Banquet, held Wednesday night, Jan. 31, 2023.

Jonathan Foret received The Courier's 2022 Terrebonne's Most Useful Citizen Award to recognize his years of involvement in the fight to save the parish's eroding wetlands and numerous other community efforts.

Foret received the award Wednesday night during the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce's 93rd Annual Banquet.

The newspaper has given the award every year since 1946 to recognize Terrebonne residents who put in extraordinary time, talent and effort to make the parish a better place to live. The Courier solicits nominations from the community, and the recipient is selected by a panel of anonymous judges.

For more than 10 years, Foret has served as executive director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, a nonprofit that educates children and the public at-large about the challenges the community faces with coastal erosion and hurricanes. He has advanced construction on a new campus taking shape near the Civic Center.

In 2012, he spearheaded the group’s biggest fundraiser, the Rougarou Festival, which USA Today dubbed one of the nation’s 10 best Halloween costume parties. It’s grown into one of Terrebonne’s biggest annual festivals and earlier this month was named Festival of the Year by the Louisiana Travel Association.

A native of Chauvin and resident of Houma, Foret has for many years raised awareness of the dual threat coastal erosion and hurricanes pose to the area's unique people and culture, spreading the word locally and outside the area.

“This is more than just a career – it is his life’s work and passion,” a letter nominating him for the award says. “His dedication to creating a more sustainable – and quite simply better – community for all is incredibly admirable. He deeply cares for our people, our land, our culture and our way of life and works hard to preserve each.”

Foret has served on boards for nonprofits and community programs, including local and state arts councils, Houma's public recreation district, MacDonell United Methodist Children's Services, Operation Full Pantry and the Houma Christmas Festival.

After Hurricane Ida, Foret coordinated a supply distribution site in Pointe-aux-Chenes, responding to an unmet need.

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As the nonprofit Helio Foundation’s board president, he helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help residents recover, providing ice, water, gas, hot meals and cash payments directly to storm victims.

He also helped spearhead the group’s Float the Boat Program to help local fishermen retrieve and repair damaged vessels so they could return to work after the storm.

At Wednesday's banquet, Foret credited residents of Terrebonne and surrounding areas for their "tenacity" as they recover and rebuild after Hurricane Ida. He said he prefers that word to the sometimes overused "resilience." Resilience means the ability to bounce back, but tenacity is the courage to drive on.

"We are a tenacious people," Foret told the audience. "We charge forward into that challenge."

Here are awards given by the chamber during the banquet:

  • Small Business of the Year: Downtown Jeaux.
  • Nonprofit of the Year: MacDonell United Methodist Children's Services.
  • Large Business of the Year: Terrebonne General Health System.
  • Eugene Folse Outstanding Veteran Award: Louisiana National Guard Maj. Gen. and former Louisiana legislator Hunt Downer of Houma.

The chamber also recognized the Houma American Legion post's Teenager of the Year, Makenzi Clement, a student at South Terrebonne High.