Manning Family Children’s announces 2nd annual Louisiana Legacy celebration to be held Oct. 1 at the Orpheum Theater

Written By Alicia Vial

Signature fundraiser event, hosted with support from the Manning family, will raise funds for the hospital’s new 60-bed NICU

NEW ORLEANS – Manning Family Children’s announced today the 2nd annual Louisiana Legacy celebration will take place Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Orpheum Theater. The signature fundraising event will raise vital funds for a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) which supports the hospital’s longstanding commitment to advance the health and wellbeing of Louisiana’s children. Tickets are now on sale.

The inaugural event was timed with the hospital’s renaming to Manning Family Children’s in 2025 and helped usher in the beginning of a bold new vision to make Louisiana a national leader in child health.

“Our inaugural Louisiana Legacy celebration helped raise more than $3M – which is an amazing reflection of our community’s support that we aim to build upon in 2026,” said Archie Manning, the hospital’s namesake and legendary Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints quarterback. “This year, funds raised will be designated in support of the new, 60-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Manning Family Children’s – a transformational project that will serve as a lifeline of care for our littlest Louisianans, helping ensure the future health and vibrancy of our state and region.”

Louisiana Legacy will feature gourmet food and cocktails, a fireside chat with members of the Manning family and special guests, along with live entertainment for approximately 500 patrons and supporters. The event will be co-chaired by Courtney and Ted Le Clercq and Tina and Barry Kern. Olivia and Archie Manning and Ellen and Cooper Manning will help host the celebratory occasion as honorary co-chairs.

Annually, a ‘Louisiana Legacy’ honoree will be selected for the significant impact he or she has made on child wellbeing across the state and region. The 2026 Louisiana Legacy Award recipient will be named in the coming weeks, honoring an influential Louisianan whose steadfast commitment has helped improve the health and wellbeing of children and families across Louisiana.

“The Louisiana Legacy celebration was created to honor the defining moments and leaders who shape our state and region, while strengthening the hospital’s more than 70-year legacy of delivering lifesaving and lifechanging care for all children,” said Lucio A. Fragoso, President and CEO of Manning Family Children’s. “Community support through the 2026 event will help scale the vital role we play in providing the highest level of care for Louisiana’s tiniest and most fragile babies – and there is no greater cause to champion than this.”

For more than 70 years, Manning Family Children’s has proudly served as Louisiana’s only, freestanding, comprehensive children’s hospital with more than 600 pediatric-trained providers and 3,000 employees solely dedicated to the care of kids. In addition to comprehensive services offered at its main campus in New Orleans, Children’s operates a robust network of more than 30 satellite locations, pediatric affiliations across Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and robust and long-community programs designed to meet the health needs of the diverse communities it serves. At the heart of its mission, Manning Family Children’s is committed to delivering expert care for every child, every time – regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets visit www.manningchildrens.org/legacy.

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About Manning Family Children’s:
Manning Family Children’s is a 263-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, just for children. With more than 600 pediatric providers, Manning Family Children’s offers a comprehensive array of specialized pediatric services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, Children’s operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Children’s offers primary care at 14 convenient locations, along with a network of statewide pediatric affiliations. Children’s is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system which also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, and Lakeside Hospital. Learn more at manningchildren’s.org.  

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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