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Greater New Orleans Foundation Announces New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund Steering Committee and Public Meeting
NEW ORLEANS – (January 15, 2025) Today, in the aftermath of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (Foundation) announced the establishment of a volunteer steering committee to oversee the grantmaking process and disbursement of the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund. The Foundation will also hold a public meeting on January 27 from 6-8 pm to solicit public input on the draft grantmaking protocol and timeline.
The Foundation is partnering with the Mass Violence Survivors Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to distributing contributions following mass casualty crimes. Their effort will be led by its executive director Jeffrey R. Dion, an attorney, homicide-survivor, and nationally-recognized victim advocate who has previously administered 31 similar funds, including: the Las Vegas Harvest Festival Shooting; the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting; Walmart shooting in El Paso, TX; Top’s Supermarket in Buffalo, NY, and the Robb Elementary Shooting in Uvalde, TX. Most recently, Mr. Dion administered the relief fund for the victims of the Fordyce, Arkansas shooting in partnership with the Arkansas Community Foundation.
Funds to cover the Mass Violence Survivors Fund’s administrative costs will be paid by personal contributions from the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Board of Directors and will not come from donations received to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund. One hundred percent of donations to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund will go to the families of those whose lives were taken or to those who were severely injured or impacted in the attack on Bourbon Street on January 1st.
Members of the Steering Committee include:
- Co-Chair David Barksdale | Chair, Greater News Orleans Foundation Board of Trustees
- Co-Chair Kim Boyle | Managing Partner at Phelps Dunbar and Former Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Member
- Dr. Jennifer Avegno | Director of the New Orleans Health Department
- Rabbi Katie Bauman | Senior Rabbi, Touro Synagogue
- Dr. Regina Benjamin | The 18th Surgeon General of the United States and Endowed Chair in Public Health Sciences, Xavier University of Louisiana
- Lynne Burkart, CPA | Partner, EisnerAmpner and Board Member and Audit Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation
- James Dabney, PhD. | Executive Director of the New Orleans Youth Alliance and former Director and Regional Vice President of the Posse Foundation
- David F. Edwards | Partner, Jones Walker LLP and Former Greater New Orleans Foundation Board Member
- Cynthia Hayes | President and CEO of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Cam Jordan | Defensive End for the New Orleans Saints, 2025 Bart Starr Award Winner
- Pastor Fred Luter, Jr. | Senior Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and first African American President of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Ronald P. McClain JD, LCSW | Executive Director, Institute of Mental Hygiene
- Alden J. McDonald Jr. | Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Bank
- Melanie A. Talia, J.D. | President & CEO, New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation
- Ret. Judge Dennis Waldron | Retired Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge
To read more about the steering committee, click here.
“Our hearts remain with the victims, their families, and all impacted by this evil act of terror,” said Andy Kopplin, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans Foundation. “The Greater New Orleans Foundation is proud to work with both Jeff Dion and this steering committee to execute this process, guided by best practices implemented by other community foundations, as the Foundation begins to disburse funds. I thank the steering committee for volunteering their time, insight, and expertise to ensure an open and fair process.”
“I want to thank the Greater New Orleans Foundation, those who have donated to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund, and all members of the steering committee for working together to help heal our community during this challenging time,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Our hearts and minds remain with the victims and their families. I look forward to working with our dedicated community members to ensure victims and their families receive the support they need and deserve.”
“As Board Chair for the Greater New Orleans Foundation, there is no more important role I can play right now than to help lead this steering committee as we work collectively to heal our city and nation following this unprecedented tragedy,” said David Barksdale, Board Chair, Greater New Orleans Foundation. “I want to thank each and every member of this committee for their time and dedication.”
“The Greater New Orleans Foundation has proven time and time again that it leads in times of tragedy, and this time is no different,” said Kim Boyle, Co-Chair, New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund Steering Committee, and a past Foundation trustee. “I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to play my part, along with the other members of the Steering Committee as well as the generous donors to ensure the victims and families receive needed funds to help them through this incredibly challenging time.”
The steering committee will publish a draft protocol on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for how the funds will be distributed to the victims of the New Year’s Day tragedy. The public will be invited to review the draft and provide input in person and through online access at a public meeting on January 27, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information and to register for the public meeting, please email NewOrleans@SurvivorsFund.org.
On January 1, 2025, following the news of the mass casualty incident that took place on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, at the request of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and in partnership with other community leaders, the Foundation launched the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund. To date, over 2300 in individual donations have been received including major gifts from the New Orleans Saints, the NFL, Ochsner Health, Raising Cane’s, Apple, Zion Williamson, Antonio Brown, Cox Communications, Baptist Community Ministries, the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, Entergy Corporation, Cam Jordan, the NBA, the Helis Foundation, the Wasserman Family Foundation, the Hawai’i Community Foundation, and the Physician’s Group Laboratories, LLC.
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About the Greater New Orleans Foundation:
With roots extending over 100 years, the Greater New Orleans Foundation connects generous people to the causes that spark their passion. As one of the most trusted philanthropic organizations in the region, we work every day to drive positive impact by championing charitable giving, strengthening nonprofits, and leading civic projects in our thirteen-parish region. In addition to grantmaking, we convene people, resources, and ideas to create intelligent strategies and solutions to meet our region’s greatest challenges. We are proud to serve as a vocal civic leader with our partners to ensure an economically and culturally vibrant, sustainable, and just region for all. Learn more at www.gnof.org.
About the Mass Violence Survivors Fund:
The Mass Violence Survivors Fund is a 501(c)(3) created by the families of dozens of mass casualty crimes, and dedicated to ensuring that 100% of donations go to survivors. The staff of the Mass Violence Survivors Fund have worked on 31 relief funds which have collected and distributed over $150 million for victims of mass violence. Learn more at www.massviolencesurvivorsfund.org.