Introduction from our CEO, Anita Begnaud
My 2020 reflections are very difficult to put into words. The challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic created hardships for so many of us, but also taught us lessons about what is most important in life and forced us to dig deeper than ever before to find ways to contribute to the betterment of our families, workplaces, and the community we live in.
Throughout the year, the teams at DDA and DLU continued to wake up everyday focused on how we can support downtown stakeholders – residents, property owners, business owners, partners, and enthusiasts – and we realized that the work of our two organizations was more important than ever. At the beginning of the pandemic, we focused on personal outreach to let you know we were here and find out how we could help. As we moved through the year, we put all we had into creating opportunities to keep our community connected through online programming and encouraging the entire parish to support small businesses located downtown. As the year drew to a close, we put our heads down to look ahead to amazing opportunities on the horizon. All year long, we aimed to provide a listening ear, celebrate small wins, and remain optimistic about the future.
2020 showed us how resilient Downtown Lafayette truly is. How our community steps in and steps up for each other. That we understand we are better together. Businesses helping businesses… neighbors helping neighbors… nonprofits helping nonprofits… and everything in between. New friendships and partnerships were formed. People made bold moves that I believe will help us recover faster and better as the central business district of Lafayette.
We are on the verge of getting past the challenges of one of the most difficult years of our lives, and I want you to know that Downtown Lafayette is still full of momentum. I also want to remind you that support amongst the members of the Downtown Lafayette community remains more important than ever. I encourage you all to continue reaching out to each other, lending a helping hand where you can, and looking for ways to support one another’s dreams and goals for the downtown district.
I look forward to celebrating brighter days ahead with all of you, as we work together to continue building on the momentum we celebrated before the pandemic. I believe Downtown Lafayette will come out of one of the toughest years in history stronger than ever!
Thank you for your investment in and support of Downtown Lafayette.
Anita Begnaud
CEO Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited
