One of Eunice City Marshal Terry Darbonne’s best known efforts is an annual fan drive.
“There’s a lot of houses we go into that the elderly either put their thermostat real high because they can’t afford the bill, and we’ve actually had people that are ill that these fans go to here,” Marshal Terry Darbonne said Wednesday’s Rotary Club meeting.
“Anybody who has donated, thank you all so much because it goes a long way. And we’re out giving drinks out at the splash pad and the daycare centers to keep our kids hydrated,” he added,
But Darbonne focused his comments to an effort to help the McFarlain family.
“Right now I’m in the midst of a fundraiser for the McFarlain family. Many of you in here know the story and for those that don’t, it’s kind of a touchy one for me because part of that family is like my family and it involves Todd, Polly, and their son Kevin,” he said.
“Todd has been in the hospital almost, one month,” he said. “What started out to be an illness that wasn’t so bad turned into intensive care and ended up he ended up coded he coded once almost lost him. So this is all happening at Lafayette General Hospital and he has been there about, I guess, about a month now.”
Darbonne explained, “He has his good days and his bad days and he’s about to run out of sick time and may lose his insurance.”
Darbonne did not state what the health issue is.
He added, “Mom hasn’t worked in a month so they have no income presently at this time. These people will take their shirt off their back and so I took it upon myself to come up with the fastest way we could get this family money to make sure he does not, lose his insurance.”
McFarlain works as a sales representative at Coburn’s, he said. He also is a community youth coach.
And, the family’s problems didn’t stop with the illness.
“On top of that, a week and a half ago their son, who was like a son to myself, was tragically hit working an accident in Opelousas. He’s a Louisiana State trooper and his name is Kevin McFarlain,” he said.
McFarlain was working a wreck on U.S. 190 on July 16 when a vehicle struck his patrol vehicle, which then hit him.
Darbonne said the vehicle probably slammed into the patrol unit at about 60 mph.
McFarlain was thrown from the scene and landed on the ground.
McFarlain was airlifted to the same Lafayette hospital his father was in.
“Could you imagine being the mother? Your husband is on one side, and they’re about to fly your son in in critical condition,” Darbonne said.
Darbonne has organized a raffle to help the family. Tickets are $5 each for a chance to win a prize worth 50% of the sales, he said.
Monetary donations also are accepted.
Darbonne said 2,000 tickets have been sold and another 2,000 tickets are on order.
“We don’t want to stop there. We want to continue and do anything and everything possible. And also, they plan on a golf tournament later in August,” he said.
Right now, it’s trying to make sure that these people are taken care of, because I’ve been knowing this family a long time. And they would do the same thing to anyone in this room right here,” he said.
Contact the Marshal’s Office at 337-457-6580 for tickets or more information.
Darbonne also referenced this on his Facebook page: “Tickets can be picked up at the Eunice City Marshal’s Office, Washington State Bank, Bertrand’s Printing, and Denny’s Tire Service (Church Point) beginning July 28th. An account has been set up at Washington State Bank under Community Servers of Eunice. Monetary donations can be made at any Washington State Bank, including Eunice, Opelousas, and Lafayette or Venmo @Darbonne-106.”
