Annual Fundraiser ‘The Answer’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, the fundraising support partner for Pennington Biomedical Research Center, is hosting its annual signature fundraising event “The Answer” on Friday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the C.B. Pennington Conference Center on the campus of Pennington Biomedical. To celebrate The Answer’s 10th anniversary of generating support for the research center’s biomedical breakthroughs, the night’s theme will be “Decades of Discovery.”

The event will center around its traditional trivia format. Attire for “The Answer” is cocktail, but costumes from across the decades are also welcome. Through the sale of tickets, table sponsorships and more, “The Answer” has driven support for Pennington Biomedical research, discovery, innovation and impact. The financial contributions generated by the event ensure future decades of research breakthroughs and recruitment.

“Supporting the research of Pennington Biomedical is serious business, but every year ‘The Answer’ provides us with an evening of fun and games to generate this crucial financial backing,” said Janet Olson, Interim President and CEO of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation. “This 10th anniversary event is not just a milestone; it’s a testament to the power of our community to fuel discovery and innovation. Every donor and every dollar makes a difference, so if you want to sustain the cutting-edge research taking place in your community, secure your table today and join us for this delightful event.”

In 2024, proceeds from “The Answer” were used in part to purchase a new, critically important industrial freezer for the center’s metabolic kitchen – the state-of-the-art facility housing dietitians who precisely plan menus and recipes for hundreds of participants, each one measured to the gram based on the requirements of clinical studies and produce valid scientific results.

“We are so grateful to the paddle-pledge donors from last year’s ‘The Answer’,” said Renee Stelzer, Director of the Metabolic Kitchen. “This freezer has increased our efficiency with packing, preparing and distributing meals. Efficiency is key because we are responsible for planning, making, and supplying meals for 30 different study protocols!”

As “The Answer” celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025, those who were instrumental in the event’s origin are proud to see how much it has grown and evolved through the years, all while fulfilling its commitment to support Pennington Biomedical Research Center, which was the brainchild of Baton Rouge visionary and philanthropist “Doc” Pennington.

“When I was a young girl, my grandfather, Doc Pennington, would ask me how I planned to give back. I have tried to live up to that standard,” Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, a member of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation board of directors and “The Answer” planning committee, said. “What I love about ‘The Answer’ is that it is such a fun way to support Pennington Biomedical. I am looking forward to this celebration of the event’s 10th anniversary and the nearly four decades of scientific discoveries made by Pennington Biomedical scientists and researchers.”