NEW ORLEANS – The Greater New Orleans Foundation announced the legacy of Maison Hospitaliere continues its mission of supporting indigent women and their families with a round of grants totaling $250,000 to 15 local nonprofits.
“We are honored to be a recipient of a Maison Hospitaliere Foundation grant, especially given the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to supporting indigent women,” said Bridge House/ Grace House CEO Else Pedersen. “Thanks to this grant, we are able to continue helping women struggling with substance abuse issues and working to ensure they have access to the services they need to regain control over their lives.”
In 1879, in response to the number of impoverished women in the wake of the Civil War, Coralie Correjolles organized 30 women into “La Société Hospitalière des Dames Louisianaises” to provide them with food and medicine. The group became especially concerned by the plight of elderly ladies, who, due to the loss of their husbands in the war, were destitute and living in squalid conditions. Through its collection of 10 cent monthly dues over 14 years, the Société was able to raise the money for its first building, 822 Barracks St., to provide residence for 20 women. Over the next 113 years Maison Hospitaliere evolved into a skilled nursing facility for both men and women.
Hurricane Katrina scattered residents and staff across the country, and in November 2006 the board decided to close the facility. When Maison Hospitaliere sold its French Quarter complex for more than $4 million, the proceeds were incorporated into an endowment that stays true to Maison’s mission of serving women and their families through grantmaking to local nonprofits.
“We are proud to be a part of continuing the legacy of Maison Hospitaliere,” said Andy Kopplin, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “We play a unique role in the community in that we can take an asset—like the proceeds from the sale of a building– and use the funds to honor a donor’s intent, which in this case is the support of indigent women.”
The following grants will be given for the 2016 Maison Hospitaliere Foundation grantmaking:
• Boys Hope Girls Hope of Greater New Orleans: $20,000 for "Where Hope Lives"
• Bridge House / Grace House: $15,000 for general operating support for Grace House Camp Street
• Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans: $20,000 for Voyage Permanent Supportive Housing
• Covenant House New Orleans: $20,000 for a Crisis Center for Young Women and Mothers
• Eden House: $15,000 for supporting the residents of Eden House
• First Grace Community Alliance: $20,000 for Hagar's House
• Kingsley House: $20,000 for the Community Support Services Program (CSSP) Homeless Prevention Fund
• Mercy Endeavors Senior Center: $10,000 for the Mercy Endeavors Senior Center
• Metropolitan Center for Women and Children: $20,000 for “Shelter from the Storm”
• New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter: $20,000 for breaking the cycle of homelessness for women and children in Greater New Orleans
• Ozanam Inn: $10,000 for shelter assistance and supportive services for homeless women/women with children
• Raintree Children and Family Services: $15,000 for Raintree House Afterschool Personal Development
• St. Bernard Battered Women's Program, Inc.: $20,000 for domestic violence shelter repairs and maintenance
• The Foundation for the LSU Health Sciences Center: $10,000 for New Orleans women and children’s shelter outreach program
• The Salvation Army New Orleans Area Command: $15,000 for The Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans Women and Children’s Emergency Shelter
The Greater New Orleans Foundation is one of the oldest and largest philanthropic organizations in the region. Its mission is to create a thriving community for all. Every day, GNOF joins other foundations, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, and government officials to address the needs of the community and build consensus for solutions, GNOF reps said. Together with a family of donors, the Foundation has invested over $100 million in the region.
