[StBernard] LRA Board Member Urges Student/Teacher Participation in 'La. Gives Thanks Campaign'

[Westley Annis]

LRA Board Member and BESE President Linda Johnson Urges Students, Teachers and Others to Participate in "Louisiana Gives Thanks" Campaign

More than 1,000 People Sign Thank You Letter in First Day; New Partners Join

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana Recovery Authority board member and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education president Linda Johnson urged school children, teachers and others to add their names to the list of Louisianians who are saying "thank you" to the American people for supporting Louisiana's recovery efforts.

The LRA launched the "Louisiana Gives Thanks" <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=4672&ID=dyjxk8mQlTmI&redirect=http://www.lra.louisiana.gov/louisianagivesthanks>  campaign Tuesday as an easy way for Louisianians everywhere to voice their appreciation for the support the state has received for its recovery. 

"This is a valuable lesson for school children about the importance of gratitude, and I hope teachers throughout the state will embrace it. We want to show our elected officials in Washington that all Louisianians - from our youngest to the very old - understand what their support means to our state and its future," Johnson said. 

The LRA is joining Louisiana's elected officials and a growing list of supporting organizations to encourage the public to visit the Louisiana Gives Thanks website, www.lra.louisiana.gov/louisianagivesthanks <http://www.lra.louisiana.gov/louisianagivesthanks> , where they can sign a thank you letter to members of Congress and the President, thanking them for continuing to support Louisiana's ongoing recovery efforts. 

More than 1,000 people signed the thank you letter and six new partners joined the campaign in the first 24 hours. The deadline for signatures is Wednesday, November 21. 

As part of the campaign, there was a full-page advertisement in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call Tuesday, thanking Congress for passing legislation last week that included $3 billion for the Road Home program and for authorizing the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Listed on the ad was Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor-elect Bobby Jindal, members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation and organizations that are partnering with the LRA in the "Louisiana Gives Thanks" campaign. The website and advertisement are being funded through private donations to the LRA Support Foundation. 

The website launch and ad placement coincided with the start of the Governor and Governor-elect's thank you tour to Washington, where they met with Congressional leaders to express appreciation for their bi-partisan efforts in support of Louisiana's recovery. 

Governor Blanco and Governor-elect Jindal serve as honorary co-chairs, along with other members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation: Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. David Vitter, Rep. Richard H. Baker, Rep. James O. McCrery, Rep. William Jefferson, Rep. Rodney Alexander and Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr. and Rep. Charlie Melancon.

Congress made two major investments in Louisiana's recovery last week. It put into law the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorized nearly $7 billion to restore critical hurricane and flood protection infrastructure in Louisiana. And it passed the Continuing Resolution attached to the Defense Appropriations Bill, making a $3 billion pledge to Louisiana homeowners to ensure they receive their Road Home grants to rebuild and recover. This appropriation, which the President is expected to sign, will cover 90 percent of the Road Home's projected $3.3 billion cash deficit. The LRA and Governor Blanco have worked with the Congressional delegation and Congressional leaders for months to secure the funding.

Several new partner organizations joined the more than 30 original supporting organizations of the Louisiana Gives Thanks campaign. They include: Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, Covington Business and Property Owners Group, Hospice of Baton Rouge, Efforts of Grace, Inc./Ashe' Cultural Arts Center, Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, Louisiana Housing Community and Economic Development Collaborative.

They joined the following original partners: the African American Leadership Project; America's Wetland; Baton Rouge Area Chamber; Center for Planning Excellence; Citizens Road Home Action Team; Community Foundation of Acadiana; Fleur de Lis Ambassadors; Friends of New Orleans; Greater New Orleans Community Data Center; Greater New Orleans, Inc.; Greater New Orleans Foundation; Jeremiah Group, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce; La. 1 Coalition; Levees.org; Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation; Louisiana Family Recovery Corps; LouisianaRebuilds.info; Louisiana Speaks; Louisiana Serve Commission; NewOrleansBlack.com; New Orleans Chamber; NewOrleansOnline.com; New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity; New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce; Office of the Lt. Governor; Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance; St. Bernard Economic Development Commission; St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce; and Urban League of Greater New Orleans; and Women of the Storm! .

For your organization to participate as a partner in the Louisiana Gives Thanks campaign, contact christina.stephens at la.gov <mailto:christina.stephens at la.gov> . 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. 

###