Leadership

The money is being awarded by the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation for a mix of causes, including political activism, legal consultation and rent deposits for storm victims.

Blanco created the fund Sept. 2, four days after Hurricane Katrina hit, to meet the needs of storm victims.

The foundation has used some famous faces — Ellen DeGeneres, John Goodman, Isaac Hayes and Dennis Quaid — for its fund-raising drive. All four celebrities taped public service announcements for the fund.

The foundation’s chief executive director, Sherece West, said Tuesday that a new fund-raising campaign is in the works to tie into the anniversaries of the foundation and the hurricanes.

Groups have received as much as $3.75 million to as little as $3,000.

The priorities for the grants are economic development, housing, education, health care and legal services.

The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, which the governor formed to mobilize help for hurricane victims, has received $3.75 million.

The corps’ communications director, Rahsha Holmes, said that money has been used to help evacuees with rent and utility deposits, among other things.

Families can receive up to $3,500 in assistance, she said.

The corps uses organizations, including Catholic Community Services, to serve as case managers for families, Holmes said.

Carol Spruell, communications coordinator for Catholic Community Services, said her group has helped 852 families from Hammond to New Roads using funds that include the money from the Family Recovery Corps.

Spruell said the goal is to help evacuees find jobs and affordable housing.

“We want them to move to stability, and that’s what they want too,” she said.

Laura Sewell with the Louisiana Bar Foundation said her organization has used the $400,000 grant it received from the disaster recovery foundation to help hurricane victims get legal assistance on a myriad of issues.

The list includes issues with landlords, child custody, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance and successions, she said.

The foundation also has a call center for storm victims, Sewell said.

“We feel so fortunate that we were able to get that funding,” she said.

The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation has awarded 30 grants. They are:

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN:
$25,000 for a quality child-care coordinator who will work to ensure quality child-care services as New Orleans transforms its dismantled
child-care delivery system.

ACORN:
$100,000 for general support and organizing low- and moderate-income Katrina survivors to fight for respect and fair treatment for their families
and communities in the relief and rebuilding process.

ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CITIZENS:
$15,000 for emergency and short-term services for people with disabilities, their families and caregivers displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION:
$400,000 to support local nonprofits serving evacuees in the greater Baton Rouge area.

BIG BUDDY PROGRAM:
$25,000 for educational services for children who relocated to Baton Rouge as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

COMMITTEE FOR A BETTER NEW ORLEANS/METROPOLITAN AREA COMMITTEE:
$15,000 for building a coalition for the New Orleans neighborhood planning process.

COMMUNITY CARE OUTREACH CENTER:
$25,000 for comprehensive educational programs to evacuee children and to support the local school system in Pointe Coupee Parish.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ACADIANA:
$400,000 for an ongoing hurricane relief fund that supports nonprofit organizations servicing Rita and Katrina evacuees in Southwest Louisiana.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER:
$350,000 for a hurricane relief fund that assists local nonprofits serving Rita and Katrina evacuees living in North Louisiana.

FAMILY AND YOUTH COUNSELING AGENCY INC.:
$25,000 for counseling, direct relief and support to families impacted by Hurricane Rita in Southwest Louisiana.

FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATER BATON ROUGE:
$15,000 for comprehensive health services and counseling to displaced evacuees with HIV/AIDS.

GREATER NEW ORLEANS FOUNDATION:
$500,000 for a recently created fund to support nonprofit organizations in New Orleans that provide direct assistance to families in priority funding areas.

H.O.P.E. MINISTRY OF POINTE COUPEE INC.:
$15,000 for comprehensive family services, rental assistance and utility assistance to displaced families in Pointe Coupee.

INTERFAITH SPONSORING COMMITTEE:
$25,000 for organizing interfaith, multiethnic, multiracial, multi-issue organizations that serve as a voice for low- and moderate-income displaced people in South Louisiana.

JEREMIAH GROUP:
$25,000 for organizing grassroots leadership in metropolitan New Orleans among families, congregations, schools and communities to fight for better housing, school systems, and land use planning in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

LOUISIANA ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS:
$25,000 for refurbishing and installing donated used and recycled assistive technology to clients whose equipment was damaged, destroyed, or abandoned because of the hurricanes.

LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:
$100,000 for organizational triage, assessment, planning, and technical assistance to help rebuild the nonprofit sector in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita.

LOUISIANA BAR FOUNDATION:
$400,000 for Louisiana-based agencies to provide legal services to displaced people throughout the state and to fund a toll free call center to provide legal consultation and referrals to evacuees throughout the United States .

LOUISIANA FAMILY RECOVERY CORPS:
$3,750,000 for case management and direct assistance to displaced families throughout the state.

LOUISIANA RECOVERY AUTHORITY SUPPORT FOUNDATION:
$500,000 for development of a comprehensive rebuilding plan for the state of Louisiana that ensures equity and inclusion of all citizens in the rebuilding process.

NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION:
$3,000 for an e-business that provides information on housing options, free credit reports, and housing counseling in collaboration with Total Community Action and HOPE Credit Union.

NEW ORLEANS INTERFAITH SPONSORING COMMITTEE:
$20,000 for organizing grassroots leaders to fight for pro-family policy changes in New Orleans with a focus on early childhood education and environmental cleanup.

OPTIONS FOUNDATION:
$20,000 for mental health services for evacuees throughout Louisiana .

PICO LIFT (LOUISIANA INTERFAITH TOGETHER):
$25,000 for organizing displaced people to have a voice in the rebuilding of their communities locally, statewide and federally.

POLICY LINK:
$400,000 for the Web portal http://www. LouisianaRebuilds.info, a universal communications platform to help reconnect displaced residents and to share information and data on rebuilding the state.

SAVE OUR SONS:
$25,000 for after-school services to African-American youth displaced by the storms now attending schools in West Bat on Rouge Parish.

SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL:
$15,000 for filling prescriptions at the community pharmacy and providing direct aid for utility bills and rent for Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH:
$5,000 for travel, registration fees and reasonable expenses for up to five community organizers to observe the AmericaSpeaks model.

YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU OF ST. TAMMANY:
$25,000 for mental health services to children, adolescents and families deeply affected by the hurricanes.

YWCA OF GREATER BATON ROUGE:
$25,000 for comprehensive health services and screenings to displaced women impacted by the hurricanes.

The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF), Louisiana's fund for Louisiana's people, has been established by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in order to support long-term family restoration and recovery and help provide assistance to our citizens in need through a network of Louisiana charities and non-profit agencies.

225-383-1672 | www.louisianahelp.org

LA Fund Gives out Millions in Aid: $40 Million Raised for Hurricane Relief
By MICHELLE MILHOLLON Capitol News Bureau Story originally published in The Advocate - Jun 7, 2006 The hurricane relief fund created by Gov. Kathleen Blanco has raised nearly $40 million since the storms and given about $7.3 million to private organizations. The money is being awarded by the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation for a mix of causes, including political activism, legal consultation and rent deposits for storm victims. Blanco created the fund Sept. 2, four days after Hurricane Katrina hit, to meet the needs of storm victims. The foundation has used some famous faces — Ellen DeGeneres, John Goodman, Isaac Hayes and Dennis Quaid — for its fund-raising drive. All four celebrities taped public service announcements for the fund. The foundation’s chief executive director, Sherece West, said Tuesday that a new fund-raising campaign is in the works to tie into the anniversaries of the foundation and the hurricanes. Groups have received as much as $3.75 million to as little as $3,000. The priorities for the grants are economic development, housing, education, health care and legal services. The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, which the governor formed to mobilize help for hurricane victims, has received $3.75 million. The corps’ communications director, Rahsha Holmes, said that money has been used to help evacuees with rent and utility deposits, among other things. Families can receive up to $3,500 in assistance, she said. The corps uses organizations, including Catholic Community Services, to serve as case managers for families, Holmes said. Carol Spruell, communications coordinator for Catholic Community Services, said her group has helped 852 families from Hammond to New Roads using funds that include the money from the Family Recovery Corps. Spruell said the goal is to help evacuees find jobs and affordable housing. “We want them to move to stability, and that’s what they want too,” she said. Laura Sewell with the Louisiana Bar Foundation said her organization has used the $400,000 grant it received from the disaster recovery foundation to help hurricane victims get legal assistance on a myriad of issues. The list includes issues with landlords, child custody, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance and successions, she said. The foundation also has a call center for storm victims, Sewell said. “We feel so fortunate that we were able to get that funding,” she said. The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation has awarded 30 grants. They are: AGENDA FOR CHILDREN: $25,000 for a quality child-care coordinator who will work to ensure quality child-care services as New Orleans transforms its dismantled child-care delivery system. ACORN: $100,000 for general support and organizing low- and moderate-income Katrina survivors to fight for respect and fair treatment for their families and communities in the relief and rebuilding process. ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CITIZENS: $15,000 for emergency and short-term services for people with disabilities, their families and caregivers displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION: $400,000 to support local nonprofits serving evacuees in the greater Baton Rouge area. BIG BUDDY PROGRAM: $25,000 for educational services for children who relocated to Baton Rouge as a result of Hurricane Katrina. COMMITTEE FOR A BETTER NEW ORLEANS/METROPOLITAN AREA COMMITTEE: $15,000 for building a coalition for the New Orleans neighborhood planning process. COMMUNITY CARE OUTREACH CENTER: $25,000 for comprehensive educational programs to evacuee children and to support the local school system in Pointe Coupee Parish. COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ACADIANA: $400,000 for an ongoing hurricane relief fund that supports nonprofit organizations servicing Rita and Katrina evacuees in Southwest Louisiana. COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER: $350,000 for a hurricane relief fund that assists local nonprofits serving Rita and Katrina evacuees living in North Louisiana. FAMILY AND YOUTH COUNSELING AGENCY INC.: $25,000 for counseling, direct relief and support to families impacted by Hurricane Rita in Southwest Louisiana. FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATER BATON ROUGE: $15,000 for comprehensive health services and counseling to displaced evacuees with HIV/AIDS. GREATER NEW ORLEANS FOUNDATION: $500,000 for a recently created fund to support nonprofit organizations in New Orleans that provide direct assistance to families in priority funding areas. H.O.P.E. MINISTRY OF POINTE COUPEE INC.: $15,000 for comprehensive family services, rental assistance and utility assistance to displaced families in Pointe Coupee. INTERFAITH SPONSORING COMMITTEE: $25,000 for organizing interfaith, multiethnic, multiracial, multi-issue organizations that serve as a voice for low- and moderate-income displaced people in South Louisiana. JEREMIAH GROUP: $25,000 for organizing grassroots leadership in metropolitan New Orleans among families, congregations, schools and communities to fight for better housing, school systems, and land use planning in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. LOUISIANA ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS: $25,000 for refurbishing and installing donated used and recycled assistive technology to clients whose equipment was damaged, destroyed, or abandoned because of the hurricanes. LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS: $100,000 for organizational triage, assessment, planning, and technical assistance to help rebuild the nonprofit sector in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita. LOUISIANA BAR FOUNDATION: $400,000 for Louisiana-based agencies to provide legal services to displaced people throughout the state and to fund a toll free call center to provide legal consultation and referrals to evacuees throughout the United States . LOUISIANA FAMILY RECOVERY CORPS: $3,750,000 for case management and direct assistance to displaced families throughout the state. LOUISIANA RECOVERY AUTHORITY SUPPORT FOUNDATION: $500,000 for development of a comprehensive rebuilding plan for the state of Louisiana that ensures equity and inclusion of all citizens in the rebuilding process. NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: $3,000 for an e-business that provides information on housing options, free credit reports, and housing counseling in collaboration with Total Community Action and HOPE Credit Union. NEW ORLEANS INTERFAITH SPONSORING COMMITTEE: $20,000 for organizing grassroots leaders to fight for pro-family policy changes in New Orleans with a focus on early childhood education and environmental cleanup. OPTIONS FOUNDATION: $20,000 for mental health services for evacuees throughout Louisiana . PICO LIFT (LOUISIANA INTERFAITH TOGETHER): $25,000 for organizing displaced people to have a voice in the rebuilding of their communities locally, statewide and federally. POLICY LINK: $400,000 for the Web portal http://www. LouisianaRebuilds.info, a universal communications platform to help reconnect displaced residents and to share information and data on rebuilding the state. SAVE OUR SONS: $25,000 for after-school services to African-American youth displaced by the storms now attending schools in West Bat on Rouge Parish. SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: $15,000 for filling prescriptions at the community pharmacy and providing direct aid for utility bills and rent for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $5,000 for travel, registration fees and reasonable expenses for up to five community organizers to observe the AmericaSpeaks model. YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU OF ST. TAMMANY: $25,000 for mental health services to children, adolescents and families deeply affected by the hurricanes. YWCA OF GREATER BATON ROUGE: $25,000 for comprehensive health services and screenings to displaced women impacted by the hurricanes. The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF), Louisiana's fund for Louisiana's people, has been established by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in order to support long-term family restoration and recovery and help provide assistance to our citizens in need through a network of Louisiana charities and non-profit agencies. 225-383-1672 \| www.louisianahelp.org
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LA Fund Gives out Millions in Aid: $40 Million Raised for Hurricane Relief