Saudis give $5M to Coast recovery
- Pipeline
- Saudi Aramco News
- Other Media
Author: Hattieburg American (Natasha Smith)
Released 23 March 2006
(MISSISSIPPI, USA), March 21, 2006: When Mustafa A. Jalali, vice president of Saudi Aramco Affairs with the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., touched down on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, he was astonished at the devastation still remaining more than six months after the storm.
"It was like it hit yesterday," he said as he walked into Foundation Hope headquarters Monday.
Jalali was one of several representatives for Saudi Arabia who traveled to Bay St. Louis to see firsthand the remains of the city leveled by Hurricane Katrina.
There to greet them were Tricia Bayles-Myrick and Jessica Beane, two women from Oak Grove who gave up their jobs as financial advisers to help the people of the Gulf Coast rebuild their homes.
Saudi Arabia has committed $5 million to Foundation Hope, a Bay St. Louis nonprofit organization focused on Hurricane Katrina recovery in six south Mississippi counties. The organization was founded by Bayles-Myrick, 35, and Beane, 26.
The $5 million is funneled through an account with Home Depot, from which Foundation Hope buys building supplies. The organization plans to use the funds to rebuild 200 to 250 homes for people who lost their homes.
Bayles-Myrick said those selected must be determined to need housing. The residents can also choose to work on the home themselves.
Deya Elyas, public affairs director of Aramco Services Co., said his company acts as a facilitator for the funds, bestowed by the Saudi King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz.
The king's purpose was to get the money to the people, Elyas said.
"You go out and find the people, you find the need," Elyas said.
That's what Aramco did. Elyas said the company met with the governors of hurricane-affected states to determine the next step to take in funding noteworthy projects.
Aramco established a call center for organizations to get help, which is how Foundation Hope got connected. Other organizations receiving help included Habitat for Humanity and Deep East Texas Council, a home rebuilding program in Texas, and homes will be funded in Texas, Alabama and Louisiana as well as Mississippi.
While Habitat for Humanity is a longstanding community organization, Foundation Hope only became official in August.
It started when Bayles-Myrick and Beane traveled to the Coast to assist residents within days of the hurricane's strike.
What they saw demanded their attention more than anything else in their lives.
"It was literally like a war zone," Beane said.
The two women quit their jobs working in finance and in exchange began to distribute supplies to people in need. The single women answered what they called a mandate from God to move to the Gulf Coast.
They moved into a building severely damaged by the hurricane on U.S. 90 where the women literally laid the foundation from which they hope their organization will grow and prosper.
Bayles-Myrick and Beane provided their new building with a much needed facelift which included laying tiles on the floor - a first for the duo.
The hands-on work is representative of the women's dedication to helping others.
"Our learning curve has changed and there will be mistakes," Bayles-Myrick said. "We'll learn from those mistakes."
Their passion is evident in other members of their staff, consisting of 11 full-time volunteers and three paid staff members.
Mark Joseph, Foundation Hope's executive coordinator, had decided that his October visit to the Gulf Coast with CityTeam ministries from Seattle would be his last.
Yet, when Bayles-Myrick called, Joseph responded with a resounding yes to joining the women in their mission. He moved from Seattle to Bay Springs and never looked back.
Now, the chef of 20 years oversees supplies and labor in getting the homes rebuilt - something he never dreamed of doing.
"I had never thought about a hammer or a nail," Joseph said.
Right now, the organization is working on rebuilding the first home of the 200 to 250 homes it has its sights on. The women hope to expand their organization beyond Mississippi.
"Foundation Hope will be here forever as long as there's someone here to run it," Beane said.