THIBODAUX, La. — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has awarded Nicholls State University a $100,000 disaster response grant to help the university recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ida.
The grant dollars will be used to establish need-based scholarships to help students who left the university because of the storm, offsetting the cost of returning to Nicholls.
“Even though others outside of South Louisiana have long stopped talking about the effects of Hurricane Ida, we are still feeling the impacts every single day,” said Dr. Jay Clune, Nicholls President. “We are grateful for this partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield. I don’t like to think of where we would be without the support of our wonderful industry and community partners.”
Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, brought devastating winds and storm surge to the Bayou Region. An estimated 25 percent of Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish’s homes were destroyed or were uninhabitable in the weeks immediately after the storm hit.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation works each day to improve the health and lives of Louisianians by empowering everyday people to do extraordinary good. By building and funding coalitions of friends, families and neighbors, the Foundation hopes to build a healthier Louisiana, particularly for its children. The foundation is funded solely by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana but is a separate nonprofit. Since the storm landed, the Blue Cross Foundation has committed $5 million to meet the needs of Louisiana storm victims.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Jerad David, Director of Communications, 985.448.4303 or jerad.david@nicholls.edu
