What started out 10 years ago as an idea with Erick and Pat St. Amant to start a special club for older couples who enjoyed dancing has blossomed into a benevolent nonprofit organization that has raised and given away over $300,000 to needy individuals and other charitable organizations in the River Parishes.

The name chosen for the group is “The Oldies but Goodies.”

Erick shared that when it was first organized, he and Pat, together with others, decided to have monthly dances, charge $10 a couple and ask everyone to bring a covered dish.

Most of the time, more than 100 people would attend and have a great time with the focus on the monthly dance.

In 2009, after three years of the group being more successful than anyone could have imagined, God had plans for them. It was in that year that Pat and Erick’s great-grandson, Tripp, was born.

Tripp’s parents, Randy and Courtney Roth, soon found out that their precious little boy was diagnosed with a serious, terminal illness that only 10,000 people had in the United States.

They were told that there was no cure and all the tender loving care that Tripp would require would cost a lot of money.

That’s when the “The Oldies but Goodies” started to give fundraisers for Tripp.

Many people in south Louisiana knew of Tripp’s story and their hearts went out to the family.

He died on Jan. 14, 2012.

After Tripp’s death, the group decided to continue raising money for those in need. They published a cookbook and sold 3,000 copies, which was a very successful fundraiser.

The Jerusalem Shriners, SCP Battered Women’s Shelter, the Kenneth Hymel family, the ARC of St. Charles and Get High on Life are just a few of the many people who have benefited from their generosity.

Last Saturday, Erick and Pat invited me and my wife to the group’s Fifth Annual “Blast from the Past” dance. More than 300 people attended, enjoyed the music and danced, but more importantly, raised funds for the less fortunate.

It’s considered the biggest fundraiser of the year.   

The organization, which was started with the intention of socializing at a monthly dance with their peers, has become an instrument that God has used to reach out to people in need.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.