Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana welcomes Lauren Fitts

Written By Alicia Vial

Fitts will serve the Acadiana region as RMHCSLA campaign manager  

LAFAYETTE, LA – Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana (RMHCSLA) is excited to announce that Lauren Fitts was recently appointed Campaign Manager for the nonprofit. RMHCSLA strives to help ease the financial and emotional burdens families face as they access critical care for their children.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lauren to our team,” said Grace McIntosh, CEO of RMHCSLA. “Her expertise and strong connections throughout Acadiana will play a vital role in advancing our mission to provide a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill or injured children, especially as we continue to expand our presence in the region.”

Fitts, a native of Lafayette, brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, event management and strategic partnership building. Her passion lies in creating meaningful change through community-driven initiatives, and she has a proven track record of exceeding fundraising goals, fostering strong stakeholder relationships and leading impactful campaigns.

Previously, Fitts spent nearly seven years as the Development Director for Junior Achievement of Greater Baton Rouge & Acadiana, where she led fundraising efforts across eight parishes and helped guide the organization to financial stability and continued growth. Additionally, Fitts is a member of the Rotary Club of Lafayette-North, where she proudly served as Past President and was honored as Rotarian of the Year in 2020.

Since RMHCSLA’s founding in December 1983, the nonprofit has served more than 30,000 families from the Acadiana region, all Louisiana parishes, and across the country. The Ronald McDonald Family Room, at Our Lady of Lourdes Women's & Children's Hospital, is that home-away-from-home, offering free accommodations, volunteer-provided meals and a support system like no other.

For more information about RMHCSLA, please visit rmhcsla.org.   

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Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana:
Since 1983, RMHCSLA has partnered with our local children’s health care providers to keep families together and near the medical care their ill or injured children need. Through the generosity of our donors and volunteers, RMHCSLA continues to focus on families’ needs as they face the medical uncertainty and financial stress of caring for their children. 

Today, RMHCSLA serves critically ill children through our Ronald McDonald House® located in New Orleans on the campus of Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald Family Room® in Lafayette at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald Hospitality Carts. Through these programs we help provide housing, meals, community, and psychosocial support to families with children at local hospitals across Louisiana, the Gulf South Region and around the world. 

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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