• COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

    #BillMeansBusiness

Disaster Recovery

Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Bill volunteered with several disaster response and recovery groups, even housing over 2,000 volunteers helping rebuild our community. His efforts following Hurricane Katrina earned him the Katrina Angel Award from St Tammany Fire District #1 and a Honorary Life Service Award from the St. Tammany School Board PTA .

Since the 2016 Denham Springs floods, Bill has led the St. Margaret Mary Men’s Club Disaster Relief Team, providing hot meals to communities affected by natural disasters along the Gulf Coast and as far as North Carolina. His all-volunteer Disaster Relief Team has served over 120,000 hot meals to those in need. They were recognized nationally, receiving a $25,000 grant for their relief efforts from Catholic Charities USA.

As Mayor Bill states, “In times of disaster, we are the hands and feet of Christ bringing hope to those who need it.”

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Charitable Endeavors

Bill and his wife, Laura, have hosted Charity Poker Tournaments that raised over $20,000 for nonprofits. They have participated in several overseas mission trips to Madrid, Morocco, and Zanzibar

Bill is a past vice-president and current member of the St. Margaret Mary Men’s Club and a founding board member of Southeast Louisiana Underwater Search and Recovery, a non-profit that strives to reunite families with lost loved ones. Over the years, he has served on multiple boards, volunteered, and supported numerous charities, including Hospice House, United Way, Community Christian Concern, STARC, Men of Steel, EST Habitat for Humanity, Slidell Heritage Fest, Leadership Northshore, Children’s Hospital, Lynch Family Foundation, Rainbow Childcare, and Sons of the American Legion, among others.

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Patron of the Arts

As a passionate supporter of the arts, Mayor Bill brought Antique Umbrella Alley to Olde Towne, revitalizing the historic Antique District and boosting its economic prosperity. He helped create the Camellia Glass Bloom Tree in the roundabout on Brownswitch Road, volunteered to install nearly 200 Pelicans on Parade, and has been a Cultural Arts Sponsor for over 15 years. Bill and Laura have hosted numerous artists at Notting Hill in Olde Towne Slidell during Arts Evening, White Linen & Lagniappe, and other events, continuing to support and enhance Slidell’s cultural landscape.

Antique Umbrella Alley

— Creator / Coordinator / Volunteer —

Antique Umbrella Alley is a vibrant art display of colorful umbrellas suspended over a block of First Street in historic Olde Towne Slidell. Mayor Bill originally had the idea to bring this tourist attraction to Slidell when his daughter texted him pictures of a similar display in Cartagena, Columbia. Always careful to save the City money, Mayor Borchert sought private funding for the umbrellas and construction. His goal was to beautify the Antique District, provide a fun, family attraction to Olde Towne, and boost foot traffic and sales for the merchants in the area. Obtaining 100% funding through the Slidell Historic Antique Association (SHAA), Mayor Bill designed the layout, served as Contractor for the construction, coordinated with the City Permit Dept. & Engineering Dept., purchased all of the supplies, and personally anchored every one of the 84 umbrellas of the display. He then obtained funding through the St. Tammany Tourism Commission for the mural adjacent to the display. Until the time of his inauguration, Mayor Bill continued to donate his time for maintenance and repair. Antique Umbrella Alley is the only one of its kind in the region, attracting thousands of visitors to our city and serving as a beautiful backdrop to some of Slidell’s most popular events.

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Pelicans On Parade

— Installation Engineer —

Mayor Bill installed nearly 200 Pelicans on Parade, 4-foot pelican sculptures hand-painted by over 100 artists, decorating the streets of Slidell. As a charitable venture, 100% of the proceeds from Pelicans on Parade are given to charity. Over a dozen local charitable organizations have participated; and net profits of more than $100,000 has been raised and distributed to benefit local children.

The first squadron of pelicans were hatched just in time for Slidell’s Arts Evening, March 2013, creating an instant demand for painted pelicans.

Pelicans on Parade began as a Leadership Northshore project and has continued for many years with the help of a handful of dedicated volunteers who have spent thousands of hours wrangling and perching pelicans throughout Slidell, redefining the city’s landscape.

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Sponsoring Local Programs

Mayor Bill and Laura Borchert sponsor many local community programs and non-profits.

City of Slidell
Cultural Arts Program

Mayor Bill and Laura Borchert have been vocal advocates, financial supporters and volunteers for the City of Slidell Cultural Arts Program for more than 15 years – from promoting and hosting artists at Notting Hill for Arts Evening and White Linen & Lagniappe, to enjoying the concerts and events in the Auditorium and Heritage Park, to creating the Pelicans on Parade and Antique Umbrella Alley, to securing grant donations for art installations and murals.

East St Tammany
Habitat for Humanity
Rosie Program

Mayor Bill has sponsored Laura as a Habitat “Rosie” for more than 7 years in her volunteer efforts with the EST Habitat Women Build Program. Throughout the 8-week Rosie build period each year, you will find Mayor Bill, hammer in hand, helping to construct homes in the Slidell area. In 2024, his volunteer labor was instrumental in the completion of several playhouses that created a children’s Christmas village in Griffith Park.

Ladies of Love Monthly
Nursing Home Visits

The Ladies of Love are a group of energetic women led by Slidell legend Miss Rosemary Clement who visit Slidell nursing centers on the last Wednesday of each month to dance, sing, and entertain the residents. Mayor Bill is honored to be the sponsor of the Ladies of Love, enabling them to purchase props, costumes, and give the residents gifts at each visit. (Sometimes, he even wears a hula skirt and joins in the fun!)

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