The Angel’s Gala

Kila and Ceaser had their second child, a daughter, Eva Katherine on March 4th, 2019. Shortly after she entered our world, she moved onto her next home, heaven. Eva was born with a rare and fatal, birth defect called Limb Body Wall Complex. LBWC affects approximately 1 in 15,000 pregnancies and hinders the infant’s ability to move or grow properly. Kila and Ceaser were made aware of her diagnosis, and impending death, when they were 16 weeks pregnant. Kila carried Eva 33 weeks until she was born via emergency c-section. 

Through their journey of grief after Eva’s birth, Kila and Ceaser began praying fervently that God would provide a way that he could use their experience and their lives to help others who have experienced a loss as life altering as theirs and bring God glory in the process. 

Kila decided to further her training and knowledge on the grief and loss process through Still Birthday Academy. She became a Certified Birth & Bereavement Doula, and to start her non-profit organization: I Will Carry You. Their mission is providing free birth and bereavement doula services to families experiencing any type of pregnancy or infant loss in Northeast Louisiana. They do so regardless of a family's income, race, religion, marital status, or other pre-qualifying factors that others may consider. The website quotes their founder Kila by saying: 

“Pregnancy and infant loss is one of the most devastating, earth-shattering, and life-altering things a family can endure, and we, at I Will Carry You, want to help carry them through it. Our community is severely lacking in the support and resources that grieving families need, and we pray that we can make a difference by providing help, healing, and hope through I Will Carry You.” 

Today, Kila and Ceaser are parents to five, beautiful children. Three living children, Maxwell, Mia, and Luke, and their two little ones in heaven, Gabriella and Eva Katherine. 

Maranda Salter shared her story and the mission of The Zoey Renee Project with The News Star’s Barbara Leader in May of 2018. While The Zoey Renee Project has wrapped up their non-profit in 2022, we still think it is important to share the story of the change that Zoey Renee has instituted before Maranda merged and co-founded with The Angel’s Gala. Zoey Renee was the fourth child to be born into the Salter family. She was joining her siblings: Keegan and twins, Kelbie and Shelbie. She was a welcome surprise for Maranda, her husband Ty and their family as she entered the world. Six weeks later, on May 9th, 2016, when Zoey Renee was down for her nap, she was welcomed into Heaven while she was sleeping. Zoey passed away from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). SIDS is the leading cause of infant death in the United States. 

Maranda and Ty decided that Zoey’s legacy would be the catalyst for helping other families who could benefit from a sleeping sock that would help monitor the oxygen and heart rate of infants while they sleep. This device sends an alert to the parents when there is a drop or sudden change in the vitals of an infant.  

Marana and Ty were determined to provide these socks to families who could not afford them. They even worked alongside the company that manufactures them to match their donations 1:1. Each sock donation that The Zoey Renee Project donated; one was donated from the company. Together, Maranda, Ty and their organization donated 2,000 monitors to families who could not afford this life-saving device. 

As a single mother to three children on earth and one angel in Heaven, Staci ran the nonprofit “Roman’s Wings of Hope” and was making waves of difference in the state of Louisiana. Roman was born sleeping May 27, 2014. I founded Roman’s wings of Hope within three months of his passing. In 2015, Staci and her organization placed the first cooling bassinets in the state of Louisiana; making history and forever changing bereavement care in hospitals across the state! Though Roman’s feet never got to touch the ground his footprints forever changed bereavement care. 

Roman’s Wings of Hope’s donations additionally included memory boxes, blankets, teddy bears, and more. After five years, in 2018, Staci felt that the calling and purpose of Roman’s Wings of Hope was completed and that it was time to move into a new chapter. She relocated to Northern Louisiana and has continued to make the voices heard of grieving parents everywhere.  

Roman’s legacy continues to unfold in other ways, including being part of the Angel Gala story. 

Chandler Gaiennie, a Northeast Louisiana native, is living her dream as a stay-at-home mom while also working as a self-taught digital creator in social media and graphic design. Married to Jimmy since 2017, they have five children—three earthside: Adaleigh, Mac, and Sally, and two in heaven, Olivia and Teddy. Their journey through infant loss ignited a passion for supporting other grieving families. Chandler and her husband Jimmy run the Love Like Olivia Foundation. 

12 weeks into her pregnancy Chandler and Jimmy learned from a DNA test that their precious Olivia had Trisomy 18 and severe heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 18. This extra copy of chromosomes can cause organ defects and developmental delays. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is where the left side of the baby's heart (including the aorta, left ventricle, and valves) are underdeveloped. Their precious baby girl lived for 51 minutes and was covered with love and got to meet her family in her time here on Earth. 

On the webpage of Olivia’s story, it states: “Because of Olivia, Jimmy and Chandler saw firsthand how important compassionate bereavement care truly is. In moments of unimaginable grief, families deserve more than medical treatment, they deserve gentleness, dignity, and support that meets them where they are.” 

Chandler serves on The Angel’s Gala committee as Sponsorship & PR Coordinator, while she and Jimmy also serve on the Bereavement Suite Committee, helping create a space for families navigating loss. 

On October 4th, 2025, in honor of Olivia Louise Gaiennie, the non-profit Love Like Olivia, hosted their annual 10K/5K/1 mile fun run at Flying Tiger Brewery in Downtown Monroe. The race raised funds for the creation of a bereavement suite at St. Francis Medical Center.