Katrina, Five Years Later

Just hearing the name Katrina brings chills to my spine.  But that is changing.  Although it has been a long five years, progress has been made.  In fact this disaster brought people together to really reshape and rebuild New Orleans in what should be a better community for all.  There were a lot of problems in this city on the Mississippi before the storm hit.  Schools were a huge problem.  Today, half of the schools are Charter and although it is really too soon to measure the results, early indications are positive that these students will earn a good education.  And this education will strengthen the community over the years and decades.  I remember those early days after the storm when we at Disney decided to give $500,000 of our relief funds to the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network to help manage the unaffiliated volunteers flocking to the Gulf.  And those Volunteer Centers did an amazing job and continue to play an integral part in the rebuilding.  To learn more about their efforts, please go to http://www.handsonnetwork.org/node/3874.