It’s been four years since Hurricane Katrina tore into New Orleans, leaving many lives in pieces. Homes were destroyed, lives were lost, and the emotional and psychological damage was significant. Coming back from such a devastating event is a long and arduous process, one that gets progressively harder as time passes and memory fades. While the need for fresh water and temporary shelter might have passed for most, there are other needs - such as the need for education, opportunity and inspiration - that remain.

NOLA Hurricane Fund is one of the nonprofit agencies stepping up to meet these needs. NOLA Fund was founded in 2006 by a group of Tulane students who were themselves displaced in the aftermath of Katrina. The short-term goal was to help get needed supplies to EMTs and local families, but the long-term goal has become one of improving education for the youth of New Orleans. With a motto of “rescue, relief, and rebuilding,” the organization goes past the band-aid approach of post-disaster care and looks to the future of New Orleans and its inhabitants (their website is under construction, but click here for a great news story about NOLA Fund).

Today, NOLA Fund works with students who don’t own computers or have computers in their home, putting them at a technological disadvantage. The organization provides more than 30 hours of computer instruction to the students, with emphasis in fundamental applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, giving the kids the skills they need to succeed in college or in a job. Even better, students who complete the program get a free laptop, which gives them an additional advantage as they go forward.

You probably haven’t heard of NOLA Fund before this, so let me be the one to tell you: This is an outstanding organization. As New Orleans continues to work to improve itself and come back stronger than ever, groups like the NOLA fund continue to help make that possible, one computer at a time.

Fill out the form below to learn how you can help NOLA Fund continue its great work!