Press Releases
Released on October 30, 2007
RECOVERY CORPS, AMERICAN RED CROSS LAUNCH EMOTIONAL WELLNESS PROGRAM FOR HURRICANE SURVIVORS, CASE MANAGERS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, in partnership with the American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program, has launched the Building Community Resilience program to provide community-based, emotional wellness and resilience activities for those directly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The program seeks to help survivors rebound from the life-altering events that occurred during and after the storms. The activities are designed to bring communities together while demonstrating the need for individual support and are tailored for the specific needs of local communities. Activities focus on skill building and knowledge transfer; structured community events and meetings; identification and referral to formal mental health treatment; and psychological education surrounding post-disaster effects.
“Many Louisianans have sustained the loss of home, community, family members and loved ones. As a result, they may be suffering from depression, making it difficult to start all over,” said Raymond A. Jetson, chief executive officer of the Recovery Corps. ”We are partnering with the Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program to provide affected residents with programs that will help them experience an emotional recovery and give them the strength to re-establish their life.”
“By focusing on continuing needs and targeting assistance to the unique and varied challenges of different communities throughout Louisiana, the American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery program is confident this program will help survivors in need of emotional wellness services,” said Jacqueline Yannacci, program manager of Emotional Support for Recovery, American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program.
Among the organizations and projects funded are:
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans Child and Family Services to provide trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy, psychoeducational group therapy, and somatic experiencing for eligible children and their families;
Children’s Bureau of New Orleans to provide individual and group mental health services to eligible children and families in office, school, or other community-based settings;
Desire Street Ministries to provide counseling and group therapy sessions in the after school programs;
Diane’s House, Inc., to provide therapeutic day habilitation services through arts for eligible persons diagnosed with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome;
Coalition for Mind-Body Medicine in Louisiana to provide training and interventions for health care professionals;
Greater Mt. Olive Outreach Ministry to provide individual and group counseling sessions and after school activities for children and families;
Helping Hands of St. Anna’s to provide acupuncture, stress relief and self-care workshops to eligible musicians, musician advocates, homeless people and healthcare workers serving those still recovering;
Louisiana Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth to provide individual and group counseling, instructional programming and leisure activities for eligible children and youth;
Magnan, Inc., to provide counseling and related services to eligible clients;
New Orleans Children Health Project to provide family and community support services, including individual, family and group counseling; and
Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross to provide emotional wellness activities, such as stress management, to case managers working in recovery efforts and provide community fairs for individuals still recovering.
After issuing a request for proposals during the summer, the Recovery Corps’ External Review Committee and the American Red Cross selected the recipients. While the Recovery Corps was charged with identifying grantees, the American Red Cross provided the funding stream for the community resilience programming.
An additional round of grant awards will be made to organizations seeking to impact the emotional well-being of those involved in hurricane recovery. Interested applicants can access a request for program funding at www.recoverycorps.org. Proposals will be accepted on an ongoing basis beginning 9 a.m., December 15, 2007, through 4 p.m, Feb. 29, 2008, or until grant funds are depleted.
For more information on the American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program, contact Jeanne Ellinport at 202/303-4585. For more information on the Building Community Resilience grant program, contact J.T. Lane at 225/381-3915.
About the Recovery Corps
The Recovery Corps, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is based in Baton
Rouge, La., was formed in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Through contractual
arrangements with case management organizations and other non-profit organizations,
the Recovery Corps has assisted more than 30,000 hurricane-affected households
with recovery planning, housing, children's services and emotional well-being
needs since January 2006. To learn more, visit www.recoverycorps.org.
About the American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program
The American Red Cross is especially qualified to be a partner in recovery due
to its extensive experience in responding to major national disasters. The Hurricane
Recovery Program (HRP) is committed to helping survivors on the road to recovery
while providing careful stewardship and accountability for the resources entrusted
to it by the American public.
