Over the years, Bobbie Cates Hicks has advanced a host of causes that have added to the fabric of our community in a profound way. She has been a major supporter of BRF programs from the very beginning in 1987. In particular, Hicks has been a dedicated contributor to the Science and Medicine Academic Research Training (SMART) Program, providing the resources that enable students to participate each year.

With her steadfast commitment to our community, she supports the arts, education, social services and animal rescue. She is often the person behind the scenes who has helped make critical programs that improve quality of life a reality. BRF thanks Hicks for her passion, her dedication to exceptional education opportunities and her commitment to making Northwest Louisiana a better place to live. To that end, BRF is pleased to announce the renaming of SMART to the Bobbie Cates Hicks SMART Program.

About SMART

Part of BRF’s EdVentures initiative, SMART provides a yearlong research experience with investigators at LSU Health Shreveport for 10 to 12 academically advanced high school seniors who have a career interest in medicine, biomedical research or biomedical engineering. Since the program began in 1997, over 218 students have participated. One hundred percent of SMART students attend college, and over 80 percent continue their education as science majors at colleges or universities nationwide. SMART is a partnership of BRF, LSUHSCS, and the Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto parish school boards.