Manning Family Children’s announces 2nd annual Louisiana Legacy Celebration to be held October 1 at the Orpheum Theater

The signature fundraising event, hosted with support from the Manning family, will raise funds for the hospital’s new, 60-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

NEW ORLEANS – Plans have been announced for Manning Family Children’s 2026 Louisiana Legacy celebration. The 2^nd annual signature fundraising event will raise vital funds in support of the hospital’s longstanding commitment to advance the health and wellbeing of Louisiana’s children.

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.”

The date for the second annual Louisiana Legacy event is set for Thursday, October 1, 2026, in New Orleans, featuring 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, which will take place at the Orpheum Theater, 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.”

Sponsorships and tickets are now available for the 2026 Louisiana Legacy celebration.

The community is invited to learn more at www.manningchildrens.org/legacy.

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.

Learn more about Manning Family Children’s new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit >>