The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) announced a $100,000 contribution to the oil spill relief effort in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ironman Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, has earmarked the money to support the efforts in the Gulf and its first donation of $25,000 will be made to the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, an organization that has been instrumental in assisting those affected by the oil spill in the state of Louisiana. Ironman, headquartered off Florida’s West coast, plans to offer additional assistance to related organizations in the coming weeks.
President and CEO of Ironman, Ben Fertic stated, "My family has been in Florida for six generations and I am devastated by the BP oil spill and the ongoing destruction it is causing not only to the environment, but also to the families whose livelihoods are dependent upon the Gulf of Mexico. As a company, we are always looking for unique ways to help preserve the natural resources in our host communities. We believe our contribution to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans will offer direct support to the fishing and shrimping families in their time of need. We look forward to providing additional aid to clean-up efforts around the Gulf Coast and hope these types of donations will have a meaningful impact."
The Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans is an umbrella agency with 45 programs delivering health and human services to the poor and vulnerable in the 8 civil parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Just days after the spill, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Catholic Charities co-president Gordon Wadge, Second Harvest CEO Natalie Jayroe and a CCANO disaster response team, met with government leaders in Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes. By the first week of May, Catholic Charities was offering assistance in both St. Bernard and at two oil spill relief centers in Plaquemines Parish. In just a few short weeks, the number of Catholic Charities’ centers around New Orleans now totals five. To date, the organization has provided emergency assistance to more than 2,300 families, served 952 food boxes, given more than $140,000 in gift cards/food vouchers and counseled more than 700 individuals.
Gordon Wadge, co-president of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans was grateful about the donation and said "One-hundred percent of this donation from The Ironman Foundation will go directly to assistance for the fishermen. The fishermen of Southeast Louisiana are a strong, resilient and independent group who are accustomed to providing for themselves and their families. The threat of losing not only their livelihood, but also our culture and way of life has been a tremendous blow. We deeply appreciate the commitment from one strong group to another."
The Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans can be found at ccano.org
