Amy and I are proud to announce that we’ve completed the fundraising for Boulder Building New Orleans. Our goal was to raise $50,000 to fund a high quality / low cost house in New Orleans for someone displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Due to the generosity of many of our friends in Boulder (and several from outside Boulder), we’ve accomplished this goal. The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County was instrumental in helping us manage this effort. Thanks to everyone involved! Following is the press release that the Community Foundation issued last month.
Boulder Building New Orleans
Local giving builds a home for a New Orleans family
BOULDER COUNTY (November 12, 2007) – A little over a year ago Amy Batchelor and Brad Feld had a discussion about how they could directly contribute to rebuilding New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They had made financial contributions and underwritten several trips of students to the city, but Batchelor and Feld were looking for something tangible to do. A close friend and nationally known architect, Coleman Coker, told the couple of a project he was working on with his Tulane architect students building contemporary, sustainable, affordable housing in New Orleans.
“Coleman connected us with the folks at the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (NHS), a New Orleans based non-profit that helps first time home buyers,” said Feld. “After a little study, we determined that Coleman and his students could provide a high quality house for a family for a $100,000. As a result, we put together a program, in conjunction with The Community Foundation, that we call Boulder Building New Orleans (BBNO). Our goal was to raise half of the purchase price through donations and then have the family take out a mortgage for the other half. With the contributions of others in the Boulder area, we have raised our $50,000 goal. Amy and I are covering all administrative costs of the program so 100% of the donations are going toward the house.”
Architects are currently finishing construction drawings of the “Boulder House” and are on schedule to break ground the first of the year. NHS is providing the line of credit to finance the construction.
Coleman’s students at Tulane University and NHS are building multiple houses with the help of donors like those here in the Boulder area.
“We hope the BBNO house will inspire other cities to build a house just like ours. Just think of what New Orleans would look like if every city builds just one house,” said Feld.
Donations to the Boulder Building New Orleans Fund through The Community Foundation are 100% tax deductible.
The Community Foundation exists to improve the quality of life in Boulder County, now and forever, and to build a culture of giving. The Foundation connects the resources of local donors with non-profit organizations to facilitate philanthropy in meaningful and useful ways, for good and forever. www.commfound.org