| USA. Rebuild the Coast Fund wraps-up $8.8 million effort to help coast families |
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| Monday, 17 July 2006 | |
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Hurricane news: More than 650 Mississippi families devastated by Hurricane Katrina and several goodwill initiatives are rising from the ruins thanks to contributions totaling $8.8 million from the Rebuild the Coast Fund to aid in the rebuilding process. The Fund, created four days after the storm hit by best-selling Mississippi author John Grisham and his wife Renee, received contributions from approximately 900 donors in addition to an initial $5 million gift from the Grishams and a $3 million gift from Hattiesburg, Mississippi businessman Warren Hood and his wife Carolyn. The Grishams toured the Gulf Coast shortly after the storm hit and were shocked and saddened by the devastation, but also encouraged by the spirit and determination of its survivors, many of whom had lost everything. "All along, our goal was to create a Fund that we knew would directly help as many people as possible as quickly as possible -- and continue until we simply ran out of money," said John Grisham. "That the Fund was able to double in size and bring some relief to so many people on the Coast truly exceeded our expectations." Grisham said the first grant was awarded in October 2005, with the final grant being awarded last month. Grants to individuals and families ranged from $1,000 to $25,000. "The criteria were simply arbitrary," said Renee Grisham. "For a family that lost everything and had no insurance, and no source of income, we usually awarded the maximum $25,000 grant." Several larger grants totaling $1 million were awarded to goodwill efforts helping groups of individuals and families. The largest was a $435,000 gift to a development project in Pass Christian, which is uniting with other organizations, including the Home Depot Foundation, to build approximately 15 new homes. The Rebuild the Coast Fund, which was administered by the Grishams and a sole staff member based in Biloxi, received approximately 3,000 applications. Once the basic information on each application was verified, the Grishams reviewed each request and arrived at an amount they deemed appropriate. Now that all of the money has been awarded and the Fund has been dissolved, the Grisham's say the commitment of similar campaigns is vital if the region is to fully recover from this disaster. "The greatest challenge throughout this effort continues to be finding the money to rebuild so many destroyed homes. For many people it's simply not possible without some form of help." John Grisham is the author of several best-selling legal thrillers that were made into hit movies such as The Firm and A Time to Kill. He is currently finishing work on his latest book, The Innocent Man. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 17 July 2006 ) |
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