Visiting Abbeville, France

Brady Broussard Jr. has a deep connection to Abbeville.
Broussard’s father served as mayor for 20 years; he has represented District C since 2011 and is a member of the Rotary Club of Abbeville, having recently held the role of club president.
Broussard recently brought that love for his home city to another Abbeville, a much older one located across the Atlantic Ocean. Broussard visited Abbeville, France, as part of a Rotary International trip. 
During the trip, Broussard and fellow Rotarians met with officials from Abbeville, France. That occurred on May 27.
“A ceremony was held in the salon of Legion of Honor at city hall for arrival of our entourage,” Broussard said, “to meet with Mayor Pascal Demarthe, his chief of staff Sebastian Colombel, Deputy Mayor Danielle Vasseur, municipal staff, citizens, dignitaries, military officials, Rotarians from there, region and America, and media.”
Planning for the event began much earlier.
“The planning and repeated Zoom meetings that led to this perfectly orchestrated event began in June of 2024,” Broussard said. “It’s important to note the huge role that Rotary International plays in the world.  For without this assistance, it could not have been that tremendous success for all in attendance.”
Broussard credited Rotarians, including Bart Cleary, DDS, Rotary Club of Oxford North Carolina, President of USA Section of USA-France Intercountry Committee for Peace, who also served as translator and “wonderful ambassador” on Broussard’s behalf, Jean-Marie Poinsard, Rotary Club of Melun Fr. and President of the France Section of USA-France Intercountry Committee for Peace.  
“It is Rotary that makes it possible to create connections between people and countries in the hope of making the world more peaceful,” Broussard said.
While there, Broussard helped to make a stronger bond between the two Abbevilles. Broussard made a presentation that included a proclamation signed by Mayor Roslyn White and the Abbeville City Council, along with a city flag.
“The proclamation from Mayor (White) and council was read aloud and translated perfectly,” Broussard said. “Our beautiful city flag was unfolded to ‘ooohs and ahhs’  in the audience. I also presented the booklet that described our founder, his origins in Abbeville, France, and finally, the struggles to establish our community, called La Chappelle, briefly and ultimately Abbeville (priest city) after requests from the earliest inhabitants of our community.  My reminder to the audience  is that we share so much together, not just food, language,  and culture, but genetics, with our ancestors originating in France.”
Demarthe is encouraged and supportive of twinning the two Abbeville communities for a long and productive relationship.
“Great time of exchange and fellowship with Brady Broussard, Deputy Mayor of Abbeville, Louisiana, USA!” the Abbeville, France, mayor said in a post on social media. “Passing through France, he came to testify to the friendship of his city towards our Ville d’Abbeville and the appreciation that the locals have to the Capuchin father Antoine Désiré Megret, who gave the name of his hometown, our city of Abbeville, to this city founded in Louisiana in 1850. Our two cities are, therefore, linked by a common history and a will to create exchanges for the future.
“Brady Broussard was carrying a message from the mayor of Abbeville, Louisiana, about us. She indeed wishes that our two cities can cooperate in the framework of a strengthened friendship and, why not, a future pairing.”
Broussard offered an invitation to French counterparts. He highlighted fall as a time to visit when events such as the Grand Reveille (Oct. 11 in Magdalen Square), the Louisiana Cattle Festival (Oct. 3-5), and the Giant Omelette Celebration (Nov. 1-2) will take place.
“The individuals who do visit us this Fall will receive the same warm welcome that was given to us,” Broussard said.
Along with new friends, Broussard also met with some familiar faces, a group of college students who visited Vermilion Parish in ‘24. Notably, with the help of their local Rotary Club, the students traveled here to see the town of Gueydan, named after Jean Pierre Gueydan, a native of their hometown in France.
“We met with the Rotary Club of Gap Fr., and that was like old friends at a reunion,” Broussard said.  “They are the club that raised large sums of money over two years to send the College’ Vivian Maier students that our Abbeville Rotary Club helped make so comfortable and well fed and ultimately go to Gueydan to see the community that their native Jean Pierre Gueydan founded. Those students were there to receive us and thank us for the great time they had in our Abbeville.  They were accompanied by their teacher, Nicolai Cottin, who visited us last year. Not to lose an opportunity to promote our charming community, I invited them to come back.”
Broussard made a presentation to that group, centering on growing closer together by sending French Immersion students and local Rotarians there one year from now.
“They are ecstatic about that and agree our clubs should twin and grow closer,” Broussard said. “We may very well see some of these Gap Rotarians this Fall at one or more festivals. When I told them the local native, Jean Pierre Gueydan, actually opened the first business in our Abbeville, they understood the necessity to stay close and cultural exchanges are essential.”
As deeply as Broussard’s affinity for Abbeville runs, it’s matched by his love for a shared French culture.
“The more each of us who do travel to French-speaking regions of the world,” Broussard said, “the more often we can promote and sell our unique Cajun French culture to insist they come and visit us for our Joie de vivre.  If you are skeptical, visit the Abbeville Cultural Center and see the guest book with signatures from Canada, France and several more French language areas of the world.”