Oprah's Grant to LISC Helps Gulf Communities Recover
17 Jun 2008
Oprah's Angel Network awards LISC $2.1 million in grants to help Gulf communities in Mississippi and Louisiana recover.
With little fanfare, Oprah's Angel Network is quietly helping Coast people and communities recover
by Mary Perez
SunHerald
June 17, 2008
BILOXI -- One home at a time
Oprah Winfrey's visit to Waveland after Hurricane Katrina brought immediate national attention to the needs on the Coast.
The $7 million Oprah's Angel Network donated to Mississippi continues to help people and communities recover.
Volunteers are blitz-building a home in East Biloxi this week, where the $3.3 million donated by Oprah's Angel Network to this city financed the construction of six demonstration model homes and the rehabilitation of about 70 more.
Bill Stallworth, director of the East Biloxi Coordination Center, said the money donated by Oprah's Angel Network not only helped bring people home, it also brought more donations and volunteers to help rebuild the city.
From the $3.3 million Angel Network contribution, the Coordination Center was able to generate $37 million. "Without that initial financing we would not have been able to grow and develop it to the level that we are," said Stallworth. The bulk of the money was put into a loan fund to finance home construction until the state grants and insurance money started being paid.
"It's one of the most generous contributions that we've gotten," said Sandra Rosenblith, senior vice president of Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a national organization that helps restore communities. LISC received $2.1 million in Mississippi and Louisiana from Oprah's Angel Network and is spending $572,000 in D'Iberville to restore homes and help Mercy Housing and Human Development build the Coastal Family Health Center, which will soon break ground there. More[+]...
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Article Type: News