To all whose lives have been affected by the destruction and damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the members and officers of the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education extend our heartfelt sympathy. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Mississippians have demonstrated a “can do spirit” that will ultimately enable our state to repair and rebuild homes, schools, and communities. An unprecedented outpouring of assistance from Americans living outside Mississippi has given our citizens a boost and has helped our state begin the long process of recovery. For this we are very grateful.

Many of our state’s schools have enrolled students from south Mississippi whose homes were destroyed. Displaced families from Louisiana have also been welcomed into our communities and their children have also enrolled in schools. There are a number of resources listed below that have been created to assist individuals, families, teachers, and schools.

The MAAE offers these resources to provide information and to give hope. There are many sources of information and many ways to help. Here we emphasize help for K-12 students and their families, for artists, and people working in the arts and cultural community.

We Are Strong (We Belong),  a song to share that is dedicated to everyone who has experienced any storm, great or small. Composer/performer, Eric Funches
www.WeAreStrong.net

Mississippi Department of Education Katrina Recovery Information: 1-866-856-2213
http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Katrina/

Mississippi Arts Commission Hurricane Katrina News includes various resources:
http://www.arts.state.ms.us/

U.S. Department of Education, assistance for schools serving students displaced by Hurricane Katrina:
http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/

National Center for Homeless Education, Helping Students Cope:
http://www.serve.org/nche/katrina/students.php

Southern Arts Federation emergency relief fund for artists and arts organizations:
http://www.southarts.org/

Americans for the Arts, donate to the Emergency Relief Fund or to learn more about how to apply for financial assistance: 1-866-471-2787
http://www.AmericansFortheArts.org/EmergencyRelief

Music Educators National Conference resource list for music educators:
http://www.menc.org/katrina

Mississippi Museum Fund accepts donations to restore museums affected by the hurricane:
http://www.msmf.org

Displaced Designer provides a list of national links offering assistance and information for architects and designers
http://www.displaceddesigner.com/resources/

National Education Association, public school employees impacted by Hurricane Katrina may apply for grants for housing, food, clothing and other necessities: 1-866-247-2239, or E-mail: katrinarelief@nea.org.
http://www.nea.org/katrina/index.html

Home