Pass Christian, Mississippi "“ May 10, 2007 "“ The Board of The Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center, Inc., today announces the groundbreaking of The Marsha Barbour Community Resource Center. The Center is a tribute to Marsha Barbour, wife of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, who immediately mobilized to assist areas in Mississippi most affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Center will serve the community, providing the population with vocational training, literacy training, after school programs and a YMCA Junior Olympic size pool for swimming lessons, honoring the efforts of Mississippi's First Lady.

The center represents the fulfillment of the vision of another strong Mississippi woman, Reverend Rosemary Williams, a retired schoolteacher and pastor of the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in DeLisle, Mississippi. Reverend Williams shared her vision with two Katrina volunteers, celebrity syndicated talk radio host Ellen Ratner and former U-2 pilot Cholene Espinoza. Together, they have created hope and new opportunity out of disaster.

"I never went to the Coast seeking recognition. For most of the time I was here, nobody even knew who I was, and that's the way I wanted it. The focus then, as now, should be on those who lived through the storm, who suffered so much and showed courage in ways big and small.", said Marsha Barbour. "Now, in rebuilding, they are showing each of us what it means to go on, even in the face of adversity and loss. They're the real heroes, and I hope they'll use and enjoy this center for many years to come."

Hurricane Katrina rendered hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, businesses and public buildings uninhabitable or obliterated altogether, as well as demolished highways, ports, railroads, water and sewer systems. Eighty percent of the homes and businesses of the township of Pass Christian, Mississippi and 20% of the homes in DeLisle, Mississippi were destroyed, and 90% were damaged. In total, 68,000 homes in Mississippi were damaged or destroyed. Of these, nearly 29,000 were in Pass Christian and DeLisle. Two hundred twenty-one Mississippians lost their lives in Katrina, many because they did not know how to swim. Nearly a year after Katrina, the residents of Pass Christian and DeLisle struggle to rebuild their homes and lives.

In the wake of the delayed federal response time, Barbour's efforts undoubtedly kept people alive. She was a First Responder, arriving on the scene in the hardest hit areas and remaining there 70 out of the first 90 hours. An example of leadership and determination, she remained in the affected areas 23 of the first 28 days, providing her constituents with basic necessities such as food, baby food, diapers, water and other supplies that she delivered herself by pickup truck. Waiting out a storm to join a convoy to Gulfport where transportation workers and National Guard members had to remove trees that were lying across the roads in order to proceed, she accompanied a looting patrol with the Gulfport police. Because of this level of dedication, The Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center is naming the first community center in this area after Marsha Barbour.

Despite the vast amount of water in the area, few know how to swim. The Center will offer swimming lessons to prevent future deaths and mitigate some of the fears people have post-Katrina. This will be the only public pool in a 30-mile radius. Another main activity at the Center will be vocational training, which will help the community obtain the skills necessary to procure jobs and lift itself back onto its feet. While the Center will be located closest to Pass Christian and DeLisle, it will serve the greater area of Harrison County, a county of approximately 200,000 people affected by Katrina. The level of unemployment in Mississippi, particularly Harrison County, has remained at nearly double that of the rest of the nation since Hurricane Katrina.

Other activities will include child development classes, childcare, life counseling, GED completion, computer center/classroom, workforce development, health assessment and wellness classes, exercise classes, sports and sport therapy, mental health counseling, music instruction, a library, senior activities, performing arts and art therapy, after school programming and summer camps.

Ellen Ratner, White House Correspondent and Bureau Chief for The Talk Radio News Service and news analyst for The Fox News Channel, and Espinoza, the second woman ever to fly a U-2 spy plane for the US Air Force, responded to Hurricane Katrina by mobilizing to the area two weeks after the storm to assist with on-site services and relief materials in Pass Christian and DeLisle. Reverend Williams shared her vision for this center with them on their first day in the Gulf Coast. The initial trip evolved into ongoing monthly trips, resulting in Espinoza authoring a book on her experience, Through the Eye of the Storm, and the launch of the foundation to address the needs of the community. All proceeds of Through the Eye of the Storm go to The Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center, Inc. Espinoza travels the country lecturing on her experience, donating all proceeds to the foundation.

About The Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center, Inc.: Founded in 2005, the Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center, Inc., a Mississippi registered 501(c)3, was created in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Pass Christian/DeLisle Community Center, Inc. serves to provide the community with the tools necessary to lift themselves out of poverty and reassemble the pieces of their lives. Local community leaders Reverends Rosemary and Theodore Williams, attorney, Shantrell Nicks, Gautier High School Principal, Myrick Nicks, and Pass Christian Chamber of Commerce President Scott Naugle have joined the board along with Ellen Ratner, Cholene Espinoza and Ronald Ratner.

About the Marsha Barbour Community Resource Center: The Center, which will finish construction of the Junior Olympic-size pool in July 2007, will serve as a dedicated resource center to address the long term needs of the community in job training assistance, life rebuilding, counseling, sports and the arts. A tribute to Mississippi’s First Lady, Marsha Barbour, the Center will also serve as an emergency shelter. Together, the team has raised over a million dollars towards the goal of $1.5 million for the Center’s construction, including a $400,000 grant from the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund and $12,000 from the DuPont Hurricane Katrina Fund. The National Basketball Association through its NBA Cares program pledged this week to build a full basketball court and conduct a local camp this summer for local children ages 9-13 taught by NBA celebrities.

About post-Katrina Mississippi: 68,000 homes and businesses in Mississippi were rendered uninhabitable or obliterated due to Hurricane Katrina. The storm turned 28,000 square miles, or 60% of the state, into a major disaster area. Approximately 26,000 families still live in FEMA trailers.

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