Photo courtesy of Hope for Autumn Foundation.
Louisiana native John Hein, left, prepares the food for the Hope for Autumn Crawfish Boil
Louisiana native John Hein, left, heads up the team that prepares the food for the Hope for Autumn Crawfish Boil in the Ross Bridge community each year.
As a Louisiana native and lifelong crawfish connoisseur, John Hein won’t even venture a guess about how many crawfish he’s boiled through the years.
“Goodness,” he says, laughing at the enormity of the question. “I couldn’t even give you a ballpark number.”
What Hein does know is it would be measured in tons — and he’ll be boiling 2½ more tons for this year’s 18th annual Hope for Autumn Crawfish Bowl. The event, which is set for 3-9 p.m. on April 25 at Ross Bridge on the Green, will benefit the Hope for Autumn Foundation, which provides support to families facing childhood cancer.
“I was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and my mother was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana., the self-imposed crawfish capital of the world,” said Hein, a Hurricane Katrina survivor who relocated to Hoover more than two decades ago. “Crawfish were about all we ate.”
The Hope for Autumn Foundation was founded in 2006 by Travis Diggs and his family in honor of a friend's daughter named Autumn who had cancer. It started with a crawfish boil in Diggs' backyard and has expanded over the years. Amanda Knerr, the current exective director, and her family were the recipient of funds from the boil in 2010 because her daughter, Emily, was fighting a battle against ovarian cancer.
“Autumn is a time of things dying off,” Knerr said. “But it’s also a time when things are turning gold, and when Emily was in the hospital, she wrote a book about things turning gold. I knew then I wanted to do something.”
Knerr became a volunteer and later was named executive director of the foundation.
As one of several money-raising events held by the foundation each year, the crawfish boil has helped thousands of families with not only medical expenses, but the kind of logistical expenses that insurance doesn’t touch.
From helping two to three families a year, the boil and other charitable events have expanded to helping two to three families per week. Hein is the lead chef for the boil.
“We started out boiling about 400 to 500 pounds of crawfish a year, and even then, my hands were sore when I was done because I just didn’t have the equipment I needed,” said Hein, who drives for UPS. “I have a nephew that really jumped in and started to help the organization 10 years ago. He knew a bunch of people and they helped construct more pots. We started adding on.”
This year’s goal: 5,000 pounds.
“We’ll go on a Thursday, rent a truck, use foam boards to insulate the crawfish and ice them down as we go,” Hein said. “We found a mom-and-pop dealer in Louisiana, and they are more than happy to help us. They’ll be as fresh as you can get in this part of the world.”
Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for children ages 5 to 12. That includes all the crawfish you can eat, plus hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings. Pepsi products will be available, along with a full afternoon of kids’ activities, including bounce houses, balloon animals, hula hoops and face painting. There will also be live music by Pioneer Chicken Stand and The Divines.
Hein might be the chef behind the glorious Cajun tastes and smells, but he’s quick to point out it’s not his show.
“I have family members and friends help out and even local high schoolers who get their service points by helping us,” Hein said. “As for me, I’m just trying to bring some of the festive attitude of Louisiana here for a good cause.
“We’re doing God’s work — helping people who can’t help themselves.”
To purchase tickets for the Hope for Autumn Crawfish Boil, visit hopeforautumnfoundation.org. The site also contains information on the foundation’s mission and other benefits and ways to donate throughout the year.
Editor's note: This story was updated on April 25 to more clearly reflect the origin of the Hope for Autumn Foundation.
