Tag: Hurricane Ida

Gonzalez Internet Provider Surprises Nonprofits with Ida Recovery Donations

Two nonprofit organizations were surprised with $2,500 grants by the generosity of a Gonzales internet provider, according to this news article from Houma Today.  REV Broadband and Vision Communications recently wanted to give back to local organizations that have been giving “so much over the last several months” during Hurricane Ida recovery, according to Chief Financial Officer Peter Louviere. This wanting to give back has resulted in the awarding of a $2,500 donation to the Bless Your Heart volunteer organization in Larose, Louisiana. Volunteers with Bless Your Heart have been working continuously to help residents rebuild from damages that were sustained from Hurricane Ida, which was particularly devastating to the area.

In addition to Bless Your Heart receiving a donation, REV Broadband, which is the parent company of several telecommunications businesses such as RTC, EATEL & EATEL Business, Vision Communications & VENYU, also gave a $2,500 donation to the St. John United Way, which is also located in Larose.

According to REV Broadband and Vision Communications, both companies were quite surprised by the unexpected donations. A news release from REV reported that “representatives from both organizations were invited to individual meetings to discuss the potential of filming a production about their work in the community — specifically in the form of aiding citizens affected by Hurricane Ida. In the place of a meeting, the nonprofit representatives were surprised with a donation made on behalf of REV’s executive leadership.”

Both the St. John United Way and Bless Your Heart have continued to play big roles in helping the community with Ida recovery. The Category 4 storm made landfall on August 29.   CFO Peter Louviere told HoumaToday, “we continue to hear so much about the great work these two organizations continue to do – bringing positive, lasting impact to the communities we serve and live within. It’s not only an honor to be able to present these donations to such deserving organizations but to do so on behalf of our 400 employees really makes this rewarding.”

REV Broadband reported that more than 60,000 of its customers were impacted in some way by Hurricane Ida, so for them to make an effort to donate funds right back to the on-the-ground organizations that were and still are assisting their customer base is an effort to show support to a community that was impacted by the detrimental storm. So far, Bless Your Heart reported that they’ve raised over $500,000, have helped over 1,000 people, and have donated more than 100,000 pounds of supplies since 2020, when the nonprofit organization was founded.

One of the people who helped to launch Bless Your Heart is Jeray Jarreau, an attorney in LaRose. He gave a statement relaying that he was particularly grateful for the donation. He said, “Bless Your Heart is overwhelmed and humbled that RTC-EATEL-Vision would choose to donate to our organization. RTC-EATEL-Vision’s support of our organization exemplifies its continued dedication to help[ing] Lafourche Parish recover after the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida.”

This news from REV Broadband comes at a similar time that The Bayou Community Foundation has announced that their Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief has awarded over $3.7 million to nonprofits located in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Grand Isle. While the full list of grants can be found at this link, HoumaToday reported that the grant money was essentially broken down as follows:

  • $1.4 million for emergency services immediately following the Aug. 29 storm.
  • $1.4 million for housing programs
  • $700,000 for direct financial assistance to individuals, families, emergency responders, andcommunity recovery projects
  • $230,000 for local nonprofit organizations to repair their buildings or replace lost equipment so that they could resume operations and deliver critical programs to residents.

For more Louisiana-related articles, click here.

Nicholls Nursing Students receive Clinical Lab Coats from United Houma Nation

Nursing students at Nicholls State University will be receiving clinical lab coats thanks to a large donation from the United Houma Nation, as per the university. The United Houma Nation (UHN) donated approximately $20,000 worth of clinical lab coats to Nicholls’ Department of Nursing in order to assist students by covering an important and often costly part of their enrollment in the program.

After Hurricane Ida passed in 2021 and massive amounts of damage and destruction were surveyed in Thibodaux Parish, the UHN had received various donations of supplies that were to be distributed to the affected community. Among these supplies were numerous boxes of nearly $20,000 of clinical lab coats, and these boxes were discovered by Cami Dardar. Dardar is both a senior student of nursing at Nicholls and a member of the UHN, so when she discovered the boxes of lab coats while organizing the donations, she jumped to action.

Dardar told Nicholls press, “I knew I had to get in contact with Dr. Raquel Engolio to get these uniforms out. I really think this is from God because the uniforms could have gone anywhere and out of all the people involved, I knew what to do with them. I would have never thought that being a nursing student and a member of the UNH would ever cross paths. It’s amazing to see two important parts of my life come together.”

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at Nicholls admits 160 students annually with approximately 80 students admitted each semester. Each student is responsible for procuring their own clinical lab coat, which can be costly as these coats are valued at about $115. Stacked against tuition, textbooks, and other supplies, it’s certainly advantageous for nursing students to be recipients of this UHN donation.

In reflecting on the significance of a Nicholls student who may or may not have had their entire lives upended by Hurricane Ida receive this symbolic and vital part of their Nursing education, Dardar said, “to see another student who needs the uniform due to losing them in the storm or can’t afford them is just a feeling I can’t describe.” She continued, “I remember my first semester and how much of a burden it was to afford these uniforms. Now, students don’t have to worry. It is an honor to bless upcoming students with these coats.”

Head of Nicholls’ Department of Nursing and assistant professor of nursing Dr. Englio commented on the donation by saying, “this wonderful donation will assist Nicholls Nursing students by saving them both time and money. We are very grateful to have this type of support from the community and from one of our students. The timing of the donation is perfect. It is also very meaningful to future registered nurses and will help them have a positive clinical experience.

These donated clinical lab coats were primarily donated on November 5, 2021 at a dedicated donation event organized by Principal Chief August “Coco” Creppel, in which a team of UHN members delivered and handed out approximately 450 lab coats to new clinical students.

New students admitted to the Department of Nursing previously were able to attend a Nursing-exclusive job fair last semester. The job fair was organized by the university’s Career Services, and it provided current and former graduates of Nicholls’ nursing programs to meet, interview with, and connect with potential employers. Employers attending the Nursing Career Job Fair were healthcare providers from hospitals and other healthcare groups across Louisiana.

Over the past decade, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an on-average projection of about 194,500 job openings for registered nurses with the typical entry-level education required being a Bachelor’s degree. That being said, the donation of lab coats from the United Houma Nation is massively appreciated by Nicholls’ nursing students.

For more education-related information, click here.

Nicholls Receives Donation from Shell and the Bayou Community Foundation

The students of Nicholls State University are still seeing the effects of Hurricane Ida in their lives, but those effects aren’t being ignored by the supportive community around them. According to this news feature from the University itself, over $75,000 has been awarded to Nicholls so that affected students and their families can be supported many months after the storm has passed.  In total, both Shell and the Bayou Community Foundation have awarded Nicholls State University with a $77,760 reward to help with Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.

Colette Hirstius, Shell’s senior vice president for the Gulf of Mexico, had spoken on the long-lasting relationship between the company and the Louisiana community. She said, “The Bayou Region has been home to Shell for over 100 years and it was important to us to be able to help provide a home for Colonels and their families who lost theirs to the devastation of Hurricane Ida. We are grateful and proud to be able to provide safe, stable housing so that these students can stay in school and focus on their futures.”

Nicholls has reported that the funds will be utilized to meet the needs of students and families who have been displaced from their houses by Hurricane Ida. The funds will be used in a variety of ways, with a considerably large portion being used to provide temporary housing, address food insecurity, and give families basic living essentials like clothing, toiletries, medications, school supplies, and so much more. After the funds were awarded, processed, and tallied, it was announced that the money will cover the housing, meals, and living expenses for at least 20 students and their families, thus providing much-needed support in such unsure times.

The executive director of the Bayou Community Foundation, Jennifer Armand, said of the awarded funds, “Nicholls State University responded quickly after Hurricane Ida to provide temporary housing and meals to students, faculty and staff who lost so much during the storm. The Bayou Community Foundation is pleased to partner with Shell to support all of these important relief efforts.”

The Bayou Community Foundation, which was originally created in 2012, is the only community foundation that is specifically designed to solely serve Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle, Louisiana. The Foundation was started after local leaders saw the continuing effects on the surrounding community following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill. “Local leaders recognized the need for a community foundation to strengthen human services, education/workforce development, and coastal preservation efforts in our area, as well as to serve as “the community bucket” for national and international assistance in the event of a future emergency or natural disaster,” according to bayoudf.com.

As many are aware, Hurricane Ida made its landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2021, and Ida’s turbulent winds and powerful storm surges had made it so that an estimated 25 percent of homes in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish were destroyed or deemed uninhabitable. As a result, approximately two-thirds of the Nicholls State University community had reported that their homes had sustained damage from the storm, and one-in-five students reported their homes to be destroyed or uninhabitable.

The above estimates are only a small piece of the massive effects left behind by this storm as they only focus on living conditions. Many members in the Nicholls community saw access to reliable income, transportation, and much, much more disrupted by Ida, which is why this donation of over $75,000 from Shell and the Bayou Community Foundation is appreciated months after the storm.

Dr. Jay Clune, president of Nicholls State University, remarked on the donation with the following words, “many of our students and their families have literally lost the roof over their heads with estimates of weeks, months, and even longer for recovery and rebuilding efforts to truly take shape in the hardest-hit communities. Without the generosity and support of partners such as Shell and BCF, it would be impossible for Nicholls to enact our vision to be the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Bayou Region.” To donate towards the efforts of the Bayou Community Foundation’s Hurricane Ida Relief, click here.

For more education-related information, click here.

Louisiana State Parks Rebuild Following Hurricane Ida

In their continuing coverage of the commercial, regional, and environmental aftermath left in the wake of 2021’s Hurricane Ida, this recent article from The Advocate outlines that because some of Louisiana’s state parks had received monumental damages from the Fall 2021 storm, they are being altered in their rebuilding.

One such state park is Tickfaw State Park, which is located in an isolated pocket of Livingston Parish and encompasses approximately 1,200 acres (most of which are undeveloped). It was reported that prior to August 29th, when Hurricane Ida made its historic landfall in Port Fourchon, Tickfaw State Park was so heavily set in an overarching shadow as a result of a tree canopy, that the sky was very rarely seen. Then the eyewall of Hurricane Idaknocked down an estimated 80% of the trees and buried them mostly in mud so that the 30-foot arm of a rescue excavator couldn’t reach them from the roads running through the swamp-filled state park.

Unfortunately, the damage observed at Tickfaw State Park is too similar to other parks in the state, which has caused the deputy assistant secretary at the Louisiana Office of State Parks, Clifford Melius, to wonder about both the longevity of these parks and the short-term solutions that may be possible. Melius commented saying, “This is going to be a major change to the ecosystem,” and he also wondered “do we repair the boardwalks when there’s no swamp to walk over?”

For decades, the Louisiana State Park system has been very regenerative, despite the annual state parks budget being regularly lowered in favor of Higher Education and Healthcare budgets receiving the attention whenever the state government faced annual deficits. According to the statistics acquired by The Advocate, “between the fiscal year 2008 and the fiscal year 2017, Louisiana reduced annual state general fund contributions by 34% from $29.7 million to $19.7 million.”

Despite this significant decrease in funding, recent years have shown that the Louisiana State Parks system has only grown in popularity. In fact, Louisiana’s 21 State Parks ended the 2021 Fiscal Year on June 30 with 1.5 million visitors, which is the highest number of recorded visitors in a Fiscal year- in recent memory. Additionally, 11 of the total 21 parks made a profit, which is quite the achievement when compared to the system’s owing of $1.5 million on June 30.

After Hurricane Ida, seven State Parks had to close because of severe damages they received, and thorough assessments are still being conducted by park officials, who estimate approximately $4 million in damages. This figure is determined to be roughly one-third of the parks departments’ funds dedicated to repairing and improving facilities.

Melius stated that he would like to see the parks reopened as quickly as possible, which might mean that he and his office will be “short-circuiting the long ponderous path of paperwork and congressional approvals that delays recovery for months.”

For instance, the state park in Fontainebleau, which is located near Mandeville, has sustained damages to their air conditioning facility, which would normally result in a bidding process to hire contractors. Instead, Melius took action and sent in his own staff to replace the air conditioning unit and reopen the park in just two-day at a cost of just $2,500 rather than the $10,000 cost and several weeks of delay that an “out of house team” would have called for.

Melius had said, “in-house saved us money and we didn’t have to wait on contractors to come in and do it,” because otherwise “during all that time I have to keep the park closed because I can’t air condition the buildings.” This improvement to how we assess and process the damages occurring in our state parks is just one way in which theLouisiana State Parks Department is reinvigorating its park system in the rebuilding stage.

For more Louisiana-related articles, click here.

Pelicans Donate to Nicholls for Hurricane Relief

Always a celebrated component of Louisiana athletics, the New Orleans Pelicans recently showed their support for their neighboring communities by donating $100,000 to Nicholls State University for hurricane relief, according to the school.

The large donation, which was announced by the team at an open practice held on Nicholls campus, is set to help members of the larger Nicholls community recover from the devastating Hurricane Ida after a majority of the service region of the university was affected by the August 29th storm. As a result of Ida’s damaging winds and floodwaters, many student-athletes were dispersed across the country to several states where they gathered at host universities to practice for the upcoming athletic season.

Despite the many challenges they faced, these student-athletes kept the competitive spirit of Colonel athletics alive and remained focused in these new settings. One Sports Illustrated article recounted how the coaching staff of the Nicholls State Colonels men’s basketball team secured temporary homes for 16 players and coaches to sleep, eat, and practice amid damages sustained in the parish.

Coach Austin Claunch told Kevin Sweeney of SI, “let’s see if we can get somewhere quickly, and we can make it like a 2–3 week training camp and really benefit from it, almost like a team retreat,” showing the optimism of Nicholls’ coaching staff in the face of disaster.

The $100,000 donated by the New Orleans Pelicans will help to counterbalance some of the unexpected costs that the university had experienced to keep their athletic teams working and practicing together in Ida’s aftermath.

Dr. Jay Clune, President of Nicholls State University, said of the gift from the NBA organization, “we are so grateful for generous partners like the New Orleans Pelicans for coming to our aid in a time of need. This donation will benefit not only student-athletes, but also many of our students who lost homes in this storm. This will help so many students continue to succeed in the face of adversity.”

The announcement of the donation was made public as the New Orleans Pelicans held their annual open practice on Saturday, October 16 at the David R. Stopher Gymnasium, which is located on the campus of Nicholls State University. The open practice offered Pelicans fans a first-hand opportunity to get an inside look at the 2021-2022 team and to show their support for the South Louisiana communities that were directly impacted by Hurricane Ida.

Tickets for the event were primarily limited to schools and organizations located in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes that were directly affected by Ida with a particular focus on local high school basketball teams, first responders and youth-centered organizations. Tickets were distributed by the Nicholls State University Athletic Department, who distributed available tickets on behalf of the Pelicans.

Pelicans Governor, Gayle Benson, said of the event, “as South Louisiana continues to rebuild after the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, our organization remains steadfast on providing resources to help these impacted communities recover. Our players, coaches, and staff could not be more excited to show our support for South Louisiana and put on a great show at open practice. I also want to thank Nicholls State University for graciously opening their facilities and hosting this event.”

Specifically, when speaking about the Pelicans’ donation to Nicholls, team governor Gayle Benson said, “it brings thePelicans family great joy to contribute to the Nicholls State University hurricane relief fund. Our partners at Nicholls did a fabulous job of hosting our open practice this past weekend and we are appreciative of the hurricane relief work their team is doing to help support students in the community. We must continue to support those impacted by Hurricane Ida’s destruction.”

For more education-related information, click here

Nicholls Received Donation to House Displaced Students

After Hurricane Ida struck the southeastern portion of Louisiana, hundreds of college students who had just started their 2021 Fall semesters were, unfortunately, displaced. Luckily, many colleges and universities across the state had opened their classrooms, dormitories, and facilities to these displaced college students, including Houma’s Nicholls State University. In fact, in order to provide living spaces for three dozen of their displaced students, Nicholls has been renovating their South Babington Hall thanks to a $125,000 donation from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, according to a press release from the school

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, or the BRAF, was initially created in 1964 as a philanthropic organization offering relief and service projects across South Louisiana by working with local governments, partnering with nonprofit organizations, and issuing grants. The BRAF’s donation will be used to restore 18 dorm rooms that are located on the first floor of the building in order to provide living spaces to 36 Nicholls students. These students had previously lived off-campus, having been displaced by Hurricane Ida, but once the dorms are renovated they will have a place to call their home-away-from-home.

Lois Smyth spoke on behalf of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation as the director of their Donor Services, saying, “We understand that Nicholls State University received significant damages from Hurricane Ida, leaving many students homeless. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is pleased to support the work taking place in the Bayou region and it is our hope that this grant will assist with accommodating displaced students.”

Nicholls President Dr. Jay Clune said of the donation, “While many of us are rebuilding our homes after Hurricane Ida, there are many more who do not have a home to return to. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Because of this gift, students will no longer have to worry about having a roof over their heads or where they are going to sleep. This is what it means to be Louisiana Strong.”

These renovations will consist of the installation of refreshed and refurbished lighting, the application of new coats of paint to the bottom floor, and repairs made to the various ceilings, flooring, and furniture in the various dorm rooms. While these renovations are expected to make up a large sum of the total $125,000 donation, the school reports that any additional funds will be used to update the building’s heating and cooling systems. Luckily, the renovations are only expected to last under a month, so students will be able to move in and enjoy the newly refreshed rooms before the semester is over.

Jeremy Becker, the Executive Director of The Nicholls Foundation, referred to these renovations as the “first step” to be made in helping students return to the campus, but there are still plenty more who could use the help as well. He had reportedly said, “This is a tremendous gift from BRAF and it will assist many students, but unfortunately the need is still great. We learn every day of more students needing not just assistance to attend Nicholls, but simply to have a place to call home. We will continue our fundraising efforts to meet that need as best it can be met.”

Recently, the Nicholls Foundation created the Campus Emergency and Hurricane Relief Fund in order to help students, faculty, and staff who have been impacted by storms like Hurricane Ida. The money collected from donations made to the fund will be used to help the community of Nicholls State University recover from the storm and get back on its feet. Donations to the Nicholls Foundation’s relief fund can be made here.

For more education-related information, click here.