PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2026

CVB Contact: Alana Cooper
Phone: 318.387.5691
E-mail: acooper@monroe-westmonroe.org

DMWM Extends a “Thank You” to Ouachita Parish After Wrapping Up the 2026 National Wheelchair Basketball Association Championship Series

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. – Discover Monroe-West Monroe (DMWM) is sending a big “thank you” to all restaurants, attractions, hospitality workers at hotels, and volunteers who made the 2026 National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Championship Series an overall success!

For two weeks, food sponsors such as McDonald’s, Small Sliders, Chick-fil-A, Ken’s Coffee Service, Newk’s Eatery, The Coffee Bean, Johnny’s Pizza, and The Creamery provided meals in the Hospitality Room at the West Monroe Sports and Events facility for NWBA officials and volunteers to keep them energized throughout the games.

With this event being the first adaptive sports event to make its mark in Monroe-West Monroe, DMWM partnered with Marie’s Medical Supply to provide shower chairs for wheelchair users during their stay at our hotels. Marie Medical Supply pleasantly surprised DMWM’s staff by donating those chairs to the tourism bureau after the completion of the championship! The Monroe Airport crews and staff worked to make the transportation into our regional airport accommodating and welcoming.

DMWM sincerely appreciates Flying Heart Brewing & Pub-West Monroe for being the proud sponsor during the series – offering ADA accessible parking for para-athletes, their supporters and fans of wheelchair basketball!

ULM’s President Dr. Carrie L. Castille met and greeted some of the athletes while dining at one of the local restaurants and continued welcoming them to the community while attending the championship to support them.

City of West Monroe Mayor Staci Albritton Mitchell and Miss Louisiana 2025, Gabrelle McLeod, helped DMWM welcome the junior and adult players to the Twin Cities using their Facebook and Instagram platforms, while also recognizing the kickoff of the tourism bureau’s 50th
anniversary this year.

DMWM would also like to thank media crews from KTVE, KNOE, Sports N Spokes, The Morning Drive with Aaron and Jake and independent sportswriter contributors Cody and Brandy Futrell for attending the championship games and including them in the newscasts and writeups. The West Monroe Sports and Events facility opened their courts to us before 5 a.m. at the beginning of the series to help us coordinate early morning interviews!

Richard “Rickey” Robertson from Macaroni KID Monroe-West Monroe kept players and their supporters informed on what was happening during his energetic announcements – keeping everyone paying attention to all the action!

This exciting two-week series produced an estimated $1.2 million in economic impact for Ouachita Parish.

Other local sponsors who participated in the first-ever parasports event for our area include VCOM-Louisiana students who sat on the sideline in the medical chairs waiting to provide the necessary first aid tasks to players. Monetary donations support came from Fast Serv, Midsouth Medical, and FMOL Health – St. Francis.

The players, their families and supporters expressed to DMWM’s staff that the Twin City community was welcoming during their time in our destination, they were satisfied with Ouachita Parish’s hospitality and fans were even caught laying outside near the West Monroe Sports & Events facility soaking up the sun and taking advantage of the perfect weather we had during those two weeks.

We’re still reminiscing on how sports tourism in Ouachita Parish can build excitement and economic growth when the community works together to welcome visitors, athletes and fans to the community!


About Discover Monroe-West Monroe

Discover Monroe-West Monroe promotes Ouachita Parish as a destination for leisure travel, conventions, meetings and sporting events, creating a positive economic impact for our local community through increased visitor spending and sales tax collections. For more information about Discover Monroe-West Monroe, visit https://www.monroe-westmonroe.org/