Entergy Charitable Foundation Helping Rebuild Post-Katrina New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation and its charitable foundation have donated approximately $19.5 million to nonprofit groups helping rebuild the physical, intellectual and cultural assets of post-Katrina New Orleans and the surrounding region.

"Five years ago, the story of Katrina was about devastation and destruction.  Today, the story of Katrina is about resiliency and hope.  New Orleans is our home and we are proud to do our part to help fuel recovery," said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility at Entergy.

Education and literacy programs received approximately 38 percent, or $7.3 million, of donations from Entergy and the Entergy Charitable Foundation since Katrina. Grants for community improvement accounted for about one-third of grants, or $6.4 million, and social and safety net services received the next largest share of grants, 15 percent or $3 million, over the last five years.

In its latest round of grants, the Entergy Charitable Foundation awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants to 42 nonprofit groups in states served by Entergy companies, including more than $500,000 to support education and literacy programs.

The largest of the most recent gifts is $355,000 to Teach For America to support its work in New Orleans and southern Louisiana. The latest grant brings the total post-Katrina donations from Entergy's foundation to more than $1 million for the group's work in south Louisiana and New Orleans regions.

"Teach For America's corps members and their proven techniques have played a key role in the transformation of the public education systems of New Orleans and surrounding parishes," Riddlebarger said.

Another education-oriented grant was to the Louisiana Children's Museum, which received $150,000 to help fund the museum's proposed Early Learning Village. The project, which is currently being developed, involves moving the museum to a 12-acre site in New Orleans City Park and expanding both its facilities and its programs, including a literacy center.

"Not only will it be an extremely energy efficient facility, but our programs will have a very strong environmental focus. It's truly a nice fit between Entergy's commitment to protecting our environment and what we intend to do once the project is complete. Financial support like this grant will let us share information with children and their parents on how to lead a more sustainable lifestyle," museum director Julia Bland said.

A $150,000 grant was also given to Ochsner Clinic to establish a Nurse Family Partnership program on the West Bank of New Orleans. The program provides intensive case management, guidance and other services to at-risk, first-time mothers and their children.

The Entergy Charitable Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation wholly funded by Entergy Corporation. The goal of the foundation is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. ECF has a special focus on low-income initiatives as well as educational and literacy programs and efforts to protect the environment. The ECF accepts applications three times per year. For more information or to access an application form from the Entergy Charitable Foundation, look under "Our Community/Corporate and Foundation Giving" at www.entergy.com.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

For more information about Entergy, visit entergy.com.

SOURCE Entergy Corporation