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The Cennea Thorla Guidry Scholarship Foundation

Supporting economic autonomy and personal empowerment for domestic abuse survivors through educational opportunity

About US

This Foundation is named in honor of my sister, Cennea Thorla Guidry, a 29-year-old wife and mother of two young children who was murdered on January 7, 2001, outside of Lafayette, LA. Cennea knew her life was in danger, confiding in multiple people the week before her death that she believed she would be killed. She was actively working on plans to take her children and leave her marriage when her body was discovered in a ditch one mile from her home.

 

When Cennea died, she left 2 children, 5 and 10 years old at the time. As the years went on and I had a son of my own, it occurred to me that they were robbed of knowing the generous, vibrant, adoring woman who was their mother. Murder has a way of diminishing a person until all that appears to be left of them is their victimhood. My sister, though, has always been and will forever be so much more than the manner of her death. I want her children and the world to know Cennea as the compassionate, loving, human force that she was.

 

I last saw my sister over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2000. She told me her marriage was essentially over and she was excited about her plans to start a new life in which she could be more independent. She was particularly excited about the opportunity to return to school. Cennea had not finished high school, and her inability to support herself and her children proved a substantial obstacle to creating a life free of abuse.

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This Foundation is a realization of Cennea's dreams of independence and a life free from abuse. We are committed to supporting domestic abuse survivors of all ages who have left those relationships further their educations so they are able to move towards economic autonomy and personal empowerment. We provide scholarships not only to cover the traditional costs of education like books, tuition and fees, but other expenses that frequently prevent students from completing programs such as childcare, tutoring, technology and transportation.

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As a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our team is small and dedicated to our mission. This work, these scholarships, can be the difference between life and death not only for the recipients, but can directly change the course of lives for generations to come. We welcome your involvement in any capacity that resonates with you: donor, fundraiser, volunteer, or ambassador. Together, we can help create different opportunities than what Cennea was able to access during her lifetime. She would be so proud.

Our MISSION

The Cennea Thorla Guidry Scholarship Foundation is committed to supporting educational opportunities for domestic abuse survivors of all ages moving towards economic autonomy and personal empowerment.

LATEST NEWS

What an incredible month at TCTGSF! Let’s catch you up.

      

In July, the Foundation took another step in its development by participating in its initial community outreach events. Volunteers ran information tables at the Railyards Market and at Crossroads for Women. Many thanks to Elements Massage and Carla Olivas at Massage Design by Carla for donating massage gift certificates as raffles as part of those events. We made more than 100 contacts and increased our exposure to community partners and the public alike.

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​August 1st, we concluded our inaugural Laptop Drive.Our generous community donated more than enough computers and laptop bags to meet the projected requests for the coming academic year, as well as financial resources to make this program sustainable. Thank you Albuquerque Computer & Electronics Recycling Co., Dr. Jonathan Terry, Tommye Fleming, 2NDGEAR, Shannon McIntosh and Amanda Meek.

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UPCOMING Events
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Denver Broncos v Los Angeles Chargers Ticket Raffle

Game Time: 12/31/23 at 2:25pm

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Community Outreach with the New Mexico Reentry Center’s Car Show

9/16/23 from 9am-2pm

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The Cennea Thorla Guidry Scholarship Foundation is committed to supporting educational opportunities for domestic abuse survivors of all ages moving towards economic autonomy and personal empowerment.

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