Kelley Saucier: I feel really good about this community

Published 5:33 am Friday, May 6, 2022

Some of the many hats Kelley Saucier wears include small business owner, certified yoga instructor and life coach and history teacher.

Saucier’s family has long run a business known as Idora Inc. Since 2000, she and her husband, Luke, have owned Southern Janicorp, a commercial building maintenance and janitorial services company. Her current passion project is the Edgemont Healing Center, located on the corner of Kirkman and 10th streets.

Saucier was born in New Orleans, and her family moved to Lake Charles when she was in seventh grade. She went to Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and majored in history.

After college, Saucier lived in several places, including Orlando, Mississippi and New Orleans. She and Luke eventually settled in Lake Charles in 1990, where they have remained since.

Upon moving to Lake Charles, Saucier got a secondary teaching certification at the suggestion of her father. She taught history at St. Louis Catholic High School and Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School.

Saucier has practiced yoga since 1997 and received her instructor certification with Wild Lotus Yoga in New Orleans in early 2020. The certification came right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so Saucier hosted 10-person yoga sessions in her backyard and created a Facebook group for the Edgemont neighborhood, where she lives.

“I still do those classes, weather permitting and if I’m in town,” she said.

The enthusiasm Saucier witnessed during those backyard yoga classes was part of the spark behind the Edgemont Healing Center. The building where the center will be housed was once the Southern Janicorps office and previously the old Lake Charles Presort building.

Southern Janicorp eventually moved to a larger building on McNeese Street. However, they kept the lease on the Edgemont location, which motivated Saucier to figure out how to best use the space. After getting permission from the building’s landlords, Garland and Linda Holbrook, she considered a space for those practicing in the wellness arena who either lack studio space or don’t need it.

“I talked to neighbors and asked if I do something with this space, would you come? They said yes,” she said.

Saucier, who has a wellness business called Idora Wellbeing, described Edgemont Healing Center as a place where independent providers of wellness and healing arts can host one-time or weekly classes. The facility is set to open May 15, with a restorative yoga class by Kristi Bult. She thanked the many friends and neighbors who helped bring this idea to life.

“This is for the neighborhood and community,” she said. “I want to have activity and vitality in the downtown area, rather than having an empty building.”

Saucier said Lake Charles offered her daughters, Adelaide and Gabby, the chance to immerse themselves in the arts and culture more so than a larger city. Growing up, the two danced with the Lake Charles Civic Ballet and were accompanied by the Lake Charles Symphony.

“A lot of people think of this area as the Sportsman’s Paradise, and that’s good,” she said. “But, raising daughters, having cultural things provided a good foundation for them. I’m happy to see those things coming back to life.”

Saucier said her family has remained in Lake Charles and the Edgemont neighborhood in particular because of the strength of the community.

“Recovering from hurricanes has been hard on people and businesses,” she said. “I feel really good about this community and the resiliency it has. It’s still just a great place to live.”

To learn more about the Edgemont Healing Center, check their pages on Facebook and Instagram or email ehc@southernjanicorp.com.