NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Manning Family Children’s has announced Mrs. Betty Lauricella as the hospital’s 2026 Louisiana Legacy Award recipient in recognition for the significant impact she has made on child wellbeing across the state and region. The award will be presented during the 2nd annual Louisiana Legacy celebration planned for Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Orpheum Theater.
“When we reflect on those who have been steadfast advocates for kids, there is hardly another person who matches the commitment, passion, generosity and leadership of Betty Lauicella,” said Lucio A. Fragoso, president and CEO of Manning Family Children’s. “Betty first joined the Children’s Board in 1983, and was the first woman to serve as chair in 1992. A trailblazer in her own right, Betty has helped pave the way for many pivotal milestones throughout our history – overcoming financial challenges in the early days to ensure our sustainability, rebuilding in the years that followed Hurricane Katrina, the purchase of our State Street campus which enabled the vision for our most recent campus expansion, and key investments that have helped scale the hospital’s impact over many decades.”
The Louisiana Legacy celebration was established with the Manning family in 2025 to honor the defining moments and leaders who have helped shape our state and region, while raising funds to support the vital mission of Manning Family Children’s. Community support through the 2026 Louisiana Legacy event will help fund a new, 60-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)at Manning Family Children’s – a critical expansion that will help Manning Family Children’s continue to deliver the highest level of neonatal care in the state, at a time when more babies than ever before rely on its highly specialized, lifesaving care…