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Carolyn and Kip Schumacher K.Martin Studio Dr. William "Kip" Schumacher is the 92nd Lafayette Civic Cup recipient.
BY ASHLEY WHITE | Staff writer Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Dr. William “Kip” Schumacher is a connector. As an emergency department physician, he ensured patients were treated with respect and dignity.
With the launch of the Schumacher Group, he expanded that mission by helping hospitals streamline their emergency department operations. Schumacher co-founded two separate advocacy groups that brought medical workers and national legislators together to push for better regulations that would benefit patients and physicians. And with the formation of the William C.
Schumacher Foundation, started in 2018 by Schumacher and his wife, they’ve connected organizations and projects across Acadiana with resources to become more sustainable to continually improve the area. His dedication to the community through his philanthropic and volunteer efforts are what earned him the designation of the 2024 Lafayette Civic Cup Award winner. The annual award, put on by the Community Foundation of Acadiana, recognizes an individual who has given back because of their dedication and commitment to the community, not because it’s their job.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to receive this award,” Schumacher said. “And how honored I am.” Now in its 92nd year, the Civic Cup was first awarded in 1933 to Maurice Heymann, an entrepreneur, founder of the Oil Center and founder of Lafayette Mardi Gras.
The public nominates possible honorees and each year the person is chosen by past Lafayette Civic Cup award recipients. Schumacher will be honored during a ceremony Tuesday night. A legacy of connecting people Schumacher, now 71, was born and raised in Lafayette, growing up in Bendel Gardens.
His parents raised him in a Christian home and in an environment that helped him flourish, he said. He graduated from Lafayette High and the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He crafted jewelry to pay for his tuition at LSU’s medical school in New Orleans.
He worked in the emergency department at Opelousas Medical Center for 17 years. There he learned what it meant to be a physician, from writing the right prescription, taking care of patients and to building a good team of people. “I learned the importance of having respect for the people you’re working with,” Schumacher said.
“But of equal importance, and if not more important, was the respect that you showed patients.” Those lessons were the guiding principles for him and Gary Keller when they launched the Schumacher Group, now SCP Health, in 1994. The organization helps streamline emergency departments' operations, including staffing, insurance, quality management and other operational needs.
It has grown to one that connects about 8,000 providers with 10 million patients a year in 37 states, he said. The Schumacher Group taught him the importance of relationships. As a result, he made connections with legislators and eventually co-founded two organizations that advocate for patients and physicians when it comes to legislative and regulatory changes.
Schumacher has since stepped back from the day-to-day involvement with the Schumacher Group, which made room in his calendar for other endeavors. “That affords me time to do the other thing I’m passionate about, and that’s trying to figure out what we can do to save ourselves in these tumultuous times,” he said. “It’s by giving back.
” He and his wife Carolyn William C. Schumacher Foundation. The nonprofit solves social problems by bringing people together to work on projects and programs designed to uplift the community, he said.
“I was stunned at how easy it was to solve problems, in some cases, with me doing nothing more than taking two entities and bringing them together,” Schumacher said. “We have an amazingly engaged community.” After the hurricanes of 2020 devastated Lake Charles, Schumacher and his nonprofit had a phone call with several organizations and leaders looking to help the area.
There was a group that used fresh ingredients to cook meals but couldn’t find any produce. Another had fresh produce but couldn’t find anyone to donate to. The groups connected and were able to help residents.
One of the most memorable instances of connecting a group with more resources was when Schumacher was working with Eight Days of Hope, a national organization that responds to natural disasters and helps people rebuild their homes. When Schumacher first worked with the group, they had access to thousands of volunteers, but nowhere to house them if they traveled in. It also needed heavy equipment if the group wanted to reach more homes.
The Schumacher Foundation helped with a matching grant to get that equipment and other fund other management pieces. The group went from renovating a couple hundred houses to 800 in that same year, Schumacher said. Outside of giving back to the community, Schumacher enjoys being physically active with friends.
He and his wife have property in Colorado. He loves to hike and the big yard means there are always projects to work on. 'This is just inherent’ Through all of Schumacher’s endeavors, he is always looking to give back to the community, said 91st Civic Cup award recipient Rodney Savoy.
“He has passion, drive, leadership skills and creativity. He’s brilliant and tireless,” he said. “His commitment to get things done is unbelievable.
All you need is the right idea, and he will figure out the rest.” It’s a value that was instilled in him by his parents and the teachings of Christianity, Schumacher said. “My parents really taught me the importance of being involved in the community, being involved in the church, making difference, giving back,” he said.
“A lot of this is just inherent, and I don't think I have a choice.”.
