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USA: New Katrina recovery grants for youth programs help thousands of children

New Orleans, LA - Summer education and after school programs, day care centers, and arts and sports programs for youth received a boost today with the distribution of more than $600,000 to nonprofit organizations in the Gulf to hasten their recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
The humanitarian relief organization Mercy Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, announced today the 39 awardees of their Youth Recovery Fund, which was created following a study by Tulane University's School of Social Work that identified a serious gap in youth social services.

"Too many youth groups are fighting to keep their doors open at a time when their services are needed more than ever," said Denise Barrett, Director of Mercy Corps' Gulf Coast Recovery Program. "These grants are meant to help the healers and enable more children to stay engaged in activities - especially during the summer - that keep them learning and playing, which is the best medicine for recovery from this disaster."

A nonprofit organization in Metairie, Angel's Place, is able to re-establish services to terminally ill youth with this grant money. For the Bishop Perry Middle School in New Orleans, this grant means that they can postpone closing their doors until after the summer.

"We've lost 70 percent of our donor list and the majority of our funding so our Board decided it was better to close at the end of the school year than to risk running out of funds mid-year and further disrupting the lives of our students," said Bishop Perry Middle School President, Dr. Kenneth Ducote. "This grant buys us a little more time to run our summer program and give the kids some stability and continuity, which are so important for them with all that they've been through."

In Louisiana, 24 youth-focused nonprofits received more than $400,000. Grants of up to $20,000 each were awarded to groups that include: Children's Bureau of New Orleans, KIDsmART, Teach for America, and Young Audiences. Additional funds totaling almost $200,000 are being distributed to groups in Mississippi this week. Please see attached for a complete list of awardees and the programs the grants fund.

"The U.S. Fund for UNICEF modeled its response to Hurricane Katrina after UNICEF's work with emergencies overseas," said President of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Charles J. Lyons. "Our donors gave generously in response to our appeal. I am sure that they will be pleased to know that their donations will help create a better environment for the children who survived last year's devastating storm season."

The Youth Recovery Fund is just one component of Mercy Corps' multi-faceted Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery Program, which has a full-time staff of fourteen experienced aid workers. The agency's Neighborhood Revitalization Campaign works on recovery efforts with neighborhood associations including New Orleans' Holy Cross neighborhood. A program called ReClaim New Orleans promotes "deconstruction" as a viable alternative to demolition of condemned houses. And the agency's Small Business Recovery Program will offer loans to help stimulate micro-enterprise in neighborhoods to jumpstart local economies.