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KATRINA VICTIMS FIND SHELTER IN “THE HOUSE THAT EZRA BUILT”
Platinum-selling Rock Band to Spearhead Hands-On Rebuilding Project
Download the article from Inside Out, April 28, 2007
 NEW ORLEANS (April 28, 2007) The Crescent City’s own platinum rockers Better Than Ezra have joined forces with Rebuilding Together of New Orleans (RT) for their 4th annual charity golf classic, “The Ezra Open.” The Ezra Open kicks off Sunday, Sept. 24, with a patron and celebrity VIP concert hosted at Tipitina’s in the world-famous French Quarter. Sister Hazel, Josh Kelly, Howie Day and other special guests will play. The golf event will be held at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) Louisiana on Monday, Sept. 25, 2006. Corporate sponsorship are available, the public may buy tickets to the Patron Party concert.
This year’s Ezra Open fundraiser will pair rock with renovation. While many celebrities have given generously to New Orleans, this is the first effort that is completely hands-on – the band and their fan club members will provide the “sweat equity” to restore at least one flood-damaged home. The funds raised will pay for skilled labor, such as plumbing and electrical, plus fixtures and appliances.
The timing of the concert and golf event will coincide with the NFL’s return to New Orleans and the reopening of the Superdome. (The Saints will host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, Sept. 25.) “It was intentional,” said drummer Travis McNabb, “to hold the Ezra Open during this historic weekend. “Hopefully the world will see how much rebuilding still needs to be done. I was born here and it is an important part of who I am,” McNabb continued.
The proceeds from the silent auction as well as the golf event will be used to rebuild and the homes of displaced residents who otherwise could not return to their homes. “The partnership with Rebuilding Together seemed natural,” added bassist Tom Drummond. “ New Orleans is a city with too much history to just bulldoze all the damaged houses. Many of these homes are more than 100 years old, and have been home to generations of families. We plan to restore historic homes, and possibly build a new home from the ground up.”
Rebuilding Together, a program of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and a affiliate of Rebuilding Together in Washington, D.C., already has enabled 34 families to come home. The program brings together volunteers and skilled tradespeople to renovate and repair the homes of low-income elderly and/or disabled homeowners in neighborhoods throughout the city. (continued on page 2)
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