Episode 57: High on the Hog – Hogs for the Cause Returns

Festival season is back!!! And kicking it off is the 13th iteration of Hogs for the Cause this Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5. The creation of lifelong friends and New Orleans natives, Becker Hall and Rene Louapre, Hogs has grown to become one of the largest barbecue competitions and music festivals in the country. On this week’s episode, the founders give us the inside scoop on what to expect for the event’s triumphant return and what they’re most looking forward to after a tough year off.

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Becker Hall, Executive Director and Co-Founder

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Hogs for the Cause

 

Becker Hall is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Hogs for the Cause. He and lifelong friend Rene Louapre founded Hogs for the Cause in 2009, with the intent of reviving an old Southern tradition of open-flame pig roasts.

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Becker was born and raised in New Orleans and attended Jesuit High School. Following college at the University of South Carolina, Becker returned home to attend the University of New Orleans, where he received a Master of Business Administration degree. Upon graduation, Becker entered the world of investment banking as an oil and gas institutional equity salesman. Today, he oversees the day-to-day operations of Hogs for the Cause, a 501(c)3 organization that has help build a Hogs House in New Orleans; distribute $1.7 million, to date, in direct grants to 1,200 families battling pediatric brain cancer; contributed $2.7 million and growing in charitable giving to hospital programs in New Orleans, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Atlanta; and will help build a new Hogs House Family Residence at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

Hogs for the Cause has emerged as one of the largest barbeque competitions and music festivals in the country. Currently, it operates as the premier funding source for pediatric brain cancer outreach services in the United States.

Becker is an avid reader, record collector, and fervent fan of college football. His love of music and tailgating set in motion the vision for Hogs for the Cause. He has secured nationally-recognized bands for the two-day fundraising events, allowing Hogs for the Cause to garner national attention for its overall mission of providing aid and relief of those variable expenses and economic burdens which families face while their child is being treated for pediatric brain cancer.

 

 

Rene Louapre, Co-Founder

Hogs for the Cause

Rene Louapre is Co-Founder of Hogs for the Cause with lifelong friend Becker Hall. Rene was born and raised in New Orleans and attended Jesuit High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Washington and Lee University and earned his degrees of Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law in Jurisprudence from the M. Hebert Law Center at LSU. He also received a Master’s of Law in Health Law at St. Louis University in Missouri.

Rene’s hobbies include cooking, eating, and talking about cooking and eating. His love of food has been the driving force behind Hogs for the Cause aligning itself with some of the best chefs in New Orleans and around the country. Under Rene’s direction, Hogs for the Cause has grown into one of the most highly acclaimed barbeque competitions and music festivals in the country, earning the title of Best BBQ Festivals in America. Together with Becker, he has been instrumental in helping to build a Hogs House in New Orleans; distribute $1.7 million, to date, in direct grants to 1,200 families battling pediatric brain cancer; contributed $2.7 million and growing in charitable giving to hospital programs in New Orleans, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Atlanta; and will help build a new Hogs House Family Residence at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

 

 

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