We are pleased to announce our first recipient, Kevin Buckner of New Orleans. Kevin had started a small business five years ago called Backyard Apothecary that makes herbal remedies and the like. He was introduced to us by Sally Ann Roberts of WWL-TV. He met with Frank and Judi after submitting his application for assistance. Frank and Judi were impressed by him and by his references and feel confident that he is a deserving individual. Kevin’s home was completely flooded in the aftermath of Katrina and his contents (clothing, personal belongings, etc., and his computer) were all ruined or destroyed. In order to get his business back up and running, he needed a new notebook computer and printer. Last weekend, Frank and Judi purchased the new equipment and then had Kevin come over to receive it. We are very happy for Kevin and wish him all the best in getting his business back in operation!

Geraldine Heigle of Lakeview lost everything in her home from extensive flood damage without flood insurance. In addition, she has just finished radiation for breast cancer. She is currently waiting on a FEMA trailer to live in on her property while her house is being rebuilt. Insurance and government assistance will not fully cover her loss. These trailers do not come with washers and dryers. She requested a washer and dryer to be installed in a shed on her property for current use; she will move the appliances into the home once the house is ready. Frank and Judi have spoken with her and checked her references and feel very strongly that she deserves our help. We have given her a $750 gift card from Home Depot for her washer and dryer.

Audrey and George Scheuermann of Kenner were completely flooded out during Katrina and pretty much lost everything. They have to completely gut their home due to the mold and other damage caused to their home, as well as a great deal of their contents. Insurance payments and government assistance are not sufficient to fully cover their total losses. Furthermore, George retired prior to all of this happening, which has put additional financial strain on them. They are currently dipping in to their small savings to make ends meet. They are currently living out of a trailer on their property and want to rebuild their home. After talking with the St. Jerome’s Church as well as their son-in-law, Frank and Judi have confirmed all of the above and recommend we provide some assistance. We have give them a $750 gift card from Home Depot for either some of the sheetrock they need or appliances they need.

Farley Glenn and LaVerne Ross of New Orleans incurred extensive home content damage and loss due to flooding, and thus it was not covered by their homeowner’s insurance. They are currently awaiting a FEMA trailer that would allow them to return to New Orleans by June. In addition, Farley provides around the clock care for his practically bedridden wife, LaVerne, who has MS. This caused him to resign from his job about two years ago. On top of this, LaVerne may lose the health insurance she previously had as a former employee of the New Orleans public school system. Additionally, they have a son who lives with them who is an amputee and has MS as well and was covered by LaVerne’s medical policy. Thus, they have tremendous health care needs in addition to the home rebuilding issues. This situation has been confirmed by the Catholic Charities of New Orleans. As a small piece of their overall needs, we gave them a $750 gift card from the Home Depot to allow them to purchase needed appliances.

Rick Delaup had developed a 1950’s style burlesque show called Bustout Burlesque that ran weekly in the French Quarter from March to May of 2005. They were set to re-open the show at the House of Blues on September 10. When the storm hit, Rick’s Gentilly home incurred 10 feet of water that caused loss to the entire contents of his house including all of the show’s costumes and props. Also, the show’s cast and crew are currently displaced. Rick is committed to rebuilding his show and home. His losses are greater than his FEMA and other government money and he did not have renter’s insurance. Frank and Judy have checked his references and feel confident that Rick is an honest person that is trying diligently to get things back on track. Frank also personally inspected his flooded home to confirm the damage. We have given Rick a $650 gift card to the Office Depot to allow him to purchase new computer equipment to replace some of what he lost in the storm.

Lynette Davis of New Orleans lost basically everything in the storm. She is currently living on a fixed income while trying to support herself and her disabled son and make payments on her house. She had a total estimated loss of over $100,000 and received only $36,000 from FEMA and insurance. Thus, her shortfall is very sizeable. Much of this shortfall stems from originally being told she didn’t live in a flood zone and thus didn’t need flood insurance! After receiving her completed application and talking to her, Frank and Judi have thoroughly checked references, as always, including her parish priest. They feel certain that her need is legitimate and we have given her a $750 gift card from Home Depot to go toward much needed appliances, etc.

Loretta Harrison had been operating Loretta’s Praline Shop for 30 years. Her story is widely known, as her story has been on local TV. Her main store was in the French Market, with a kitchen and warehouse operation on Rampart Street. Hurricane Katrina not only completely flooded her home and contents, but also caused her to close down the French Market shop due to a major drop in her customer base, mostly tourists. She has suffered an estimated total loss of $350,000, and has a shortfall of $136,000 after insurance and FEMA assistance. Besides trying to rebuild her home, she is trying to get re-established on Rampart Street where she now has a storefront and has begun to expand her product line to attract more locals. She is also the one everyone in her family turns to for help. On top of all of this, she still does not have a refrigerator at her house yet, and is using an ice chest. Frank and Judi have personally met her and have checked her references as well. In order to help Loretta both rebuild her home and business, we have given her a $1,000 gift card from Lowe's.

Roseann is an elderly single woman who lives with her sister, who is also a senior. They are both retirees with small annuity incomes under 1,000.00 a month. Their house in the Gentilly area was badly flooded, causing the loss of all the interior of their home with the contents lost as well. They are currently living in a FEMA trailer while trying to get the house back together. The Catholic Charities helped them with the gutting process. They got a small homeowner’s settlement, but had no flood insurance, leaving them with a shortfall on their losses of almost $40,000. Both ladies are no longer able to work, so this has been a horrible time for them. Frank and Judi have checked and verified their references. Our grant would be used to help purchase appliances. We have given her a $750 gift certificate from Lowe's.

Ann lives in the eastern section of New Orleans that flooded extensively and she suffered approximately $175,000 of damage to her home, including the loss of all her furniture and appliances. She had no flood insurance and received only $14,300 from FEMA, leaving her with a shortfall of approximately $160,000. This woman is completely alone (divorced many years ago), with the death of her only son leaving her to fend for herself. Her income is social security of $700 a month. Judi talked to her for quite some time and she seems very helpless and depressed. When I told her we might be able to help with the washer and dryer, she was very touched. She is presently going to the laundromat and has a long wait every time she goes. She really needs the help. We have given her a $750 gift certificate from Lowe's for the purchase of a washer and dryer.

Anthony Bellow owns a house in the central part of New Orleans that was flooded with 5 feet of water during the storm. He lost everything he owned. His house was valued at about $65K. He had no flood insurance, and his homeowners only paid $11K, which went to replacing the roof. He and his wife are currently living in Hahnville, LA, which is a small suburb on New Orleans. They are living in a church rectory and have a very limited income from odd jobs at the church and grass cutting in the area. He is looking for other work in the area, but has not been able to better his situation. He is planning to do the rebuilding work himself, and has gutted the house already. He received $2,000.00 from FEMA, but has had no other aid since returning home. He is a lifelong resident of New Orleans who wants badly to come home and rebuild. His references describe him as "an honest, law-abiding, Christian man." We have awarded him a $750 gift card from Lowe's to be used for building supplies or appliances.

Myrtle Winbush owns a house in the Gentilly section of New Orleans, one of the heavily flooded areas of the city. She lost all her belongings. She is an elderly widow, who is retired and living alone. Her income of $20k a year is from a pension from LSU Medical center and Social Security. While evacuated she received the usual $4328 from FEMA, but has received no other assistance since returning home. The value of her house was approximately $50K. She had no flood insurance and homeowners paid nothing. She is trying to rebuild, but can only afford to do it piecemeal. Her son did manage to get the house gutted, but rebuilding has been slow to start and very difficult. She is waiting to see if she will get help from the Louisiana Recovery Assoc., but that answer is still months away. This woman's story is repeated all over the city. We have granted her a $750 gift card from Lowe's for building supplies or appliances.

Latrika Shaw lived in lower St. Bernard Parish at the time of the storm. Her entire home was flooded to the roof destroying everything she owned. She evacuated to Houston with her two children where she stayed until July when she finally got a FEMA trailer. She is presently living in the trailer and trying to rebuild her home. Her total loss is estimated at about $77K. She received $5,628 from homeowners insurance, but had no flood coverage. While in Houston she received rental assistance in addition to the $4300.00 in aid money given to all evacuees. She is presently working for her sister making $300 a week and doing her best to support her children by herself. She asked for assistance to purchase a washer and dryer which she can put in her gutted home, as the FEMA trailer has no laundry facilities. According to her references she is hard working and honest and badly needs any help she can get. We have given her a $750 gift card from Lowe’s for these appliances.

We are happy to announce that NOCCA, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, received a grant of $2250 from Rebuild New Orleans Now. This grant is thanks to a very generous donation from Jazz Co, the arts club of Eastchester High School, Eastchester, NY, which raised money specifically to assist the rebuilding of the arts in New Orleans. NOCCA was awarded the $2250 for their fund to held replace equipment to students that suffered a loss during the storm. NOCCA is a high school for creative arts in New Orleans that is devoted to all the major arts including theater and music, in both visual and written forms. They are an important contributor to the preservation of the culture of the city. To learn more about their program you can visit their web site at www.nocca.com.

City Park is one of New Orleans’ major green spaces, with many features for all ages. City Park’s Celebration in the Oaks is one of the most popular attractions in the City, especially during the December holiday season. Rebuild New Orleans Now has given City Park a grant of $2500 to help rebuild Storyland, which suffered a serious blow from Katrina. Storyland is a wonderful attraction for all the children of New Orleans and is open free to the public. For more information on City Park, please visit www.neworleanscitypark.com.

On the recommendation of our relationship with Camp Restore (www.camprestore.org), a $1000 grant was made to Lolita Davis in the form of a Lowe’s gift card. This grant will help Lolita to purchase needed materials to rebuild her New Orleans home. After receiving some insurance money that allowed her to rebuild the roof of her house and do some sheetrock work, Lolita had nothing left to finish and furnish her home. At the same time, she is trying to support her three children on just her monthly Social Security income and some part-time income from her older son. This grant will help Lolita and her family to try to get back to the state of living that they had prior to Hurriance Katrina.

Michelle Woodfork is a New Orleans Police officer and single mother of a seven month old baby. The baby is being cared for by her father so that she can continue to work. She lost most everything in the storm, and no flood insurance. The money she received from homeowners insurance has gone toward rebuilding her house. She is still in need of beds and electronics. A grant of $800 in the form of a Best Buy gift card was made to help Michelle get some needed things.

Stan is unable to work because of health problems. Alexius presently works at Xavier University. They have one grown daughter. They did get insurance money, but had a shortfall of almost $80,000. They have worked diligently to gut their home, and have worked with volunteers from Camp Restore to get the house in livable condition. Our grant of $800 from Lowes is going toward materials to replace their fence that was destroyed by the storm. Camp Restore will supply the labor.

She and her husband are both disabled, living on a small income of about $1,500.00 a month. Their home was very heavily damaged and they had no insurance. They received $10,000.00 from FEMA, which has been used for material to rebuild. That money has run out. They are living in a FEMA trailer and are trying very hard, with whatever help they receive, to get their home back to livable condition. Our grant of $800 will go toward wiring material and sheet rock. Camp Restore has already done all they can for this family and continues to supply labor for this project.

Iris is a widow, with no income, who lost everything in the storm. She has no other option, but to live with family members in Houston until her house is put into a livable condition. The people at Camp Restore keep working as money is found to help this woman be able to return home. She did get some money from insurance, but it had to go to paying off an outstanding mortgage. Camp Restore has gutted the house and already replaced the roof, done wiring, and started to sheet rock. Our grant of $800 from Lowes will go toward supplies to further this very worthwhile project.

Erma Winston is a 70 year old widow struggling to rebuild her life. Her husband died shortly after the storm, and she used what insurance money she received to pay off the mortgage on her house and buy building materials to repair damages from the storm. She has gotten personal referrals from our contact at Camp Restore, Tammy Bayard, and also the crew captain who worked on her house. She still needs laundry equipment and other household items. A Lowe's card for $1,000.00 has helped her immensely.

This couple has been personally referred for assistance by Pastor Terry, who is the head of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (the affiliate church of Camp Restore). They have been working on their own to rebuild their home in eastern New Orleans. They had no insurance and have received no financial help as of this date. They are out of money and still are in need of appliances, TV, and bedding. A Lowe's card for $1,000.00 has been granted to them to help them with these purchases.

James is a 66 year old widower. He had no insurance on his home. He is retired and receives SSI, which is his only income. He has worked on his home as much as possible in spite of his age and ill health. He has applied, and is waiting on his Road Home grant. The people at Camp Restore have referred him to an agency to help him mediate to receive that grant. The damage to his home exceeds what the Road Home has approved for him at this time. He is presently living in a FEMA trailer and the Camp Restore people are trying to get him out of that situation as soon as possible because of the concern about the formaldehyde. The money from our grant, in the form of a $1000 Lowe’s gift card, will go to building materials to complete repairs on his house.