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Casino effort nets $22,079 to help rebuild Mississippi town
By Derek Hodges
Nearly nine months since his town was virtually wiped away by Hurricane Katrina, Waveland, Miss., Mayor Tommy Longo found some unlikely friends in Western North Carolina.
Waveland was the beneficiary of a recent Harrah’s Cherokee Casino fund-raiser that focused on helping rebuild its senior center.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel General Manager Darold Londo, left, presents Waveland, Miss., Mayor Tommy Longo with a check Qfor $22,079. The money, which was raised during a free Drifters concert at the casino, will be used by Hearts with Hands to help rebuild the town destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The town of about 7,000 located on the coast some 35 miles from New Orleans – was devastated by the storm that wreaked havoc across most of the Gulf Coast last August. While much attention was paid to larger cities, like New Orleans and Biloxi, many who have toured the region have indicated Waveland suffered more. That’s a suggestion Longo agreed with in media reports shortly after the storm.
“We basically have nothing left,” Longo told the Washington Post on Sept. 2. “We’re dealing with the heartbreak, and we’re trying to keep up morale, and we’re trying to get more help.”
Virtually every building in Waveland was destroyed, Longo said. All that remains of city hall is a set of steps to nowhere and part of a mural that used to stand in front of the building.
“When you see the devastation down there, even now, it’s just unbelievable,” said Harrah’s Director of External Relations Joyce Dugan.
Dugan led a committee of casino employees who organized the fund-raiser. Committee members were impressed by the amount of destruction in Waveland, Dugan said.
“Waveland has kind of been ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ because it was kind of passed over for places like New Orleans,” Dugan said. “There’s nothing wrong with helping bigger places, but Waveland is in the hardest-hit area of the Gulf Coast. We wanted to work with a small town that we might be able to make a difference in.”
The town was suggested by representatives of Hearts with Hands, the charity Dugan contacted to help distribute money from a planned fund-raiser.
The committee’s plans called for a May 13 $100 a plate dinner featuring the Drifters, with proceeds benefiting the town. With the date for the fund-raiser looming and only a handful of folks signed up to attend the dinner, organizers considered cancelling the event just five days before it was to be held. That idea was scrapped, however, as the decision was made to hold a free Drifters concert and take up a collection.
“Response was lower than expected at first because the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is no longer a major news story,” Harrah’s Cherokee General Manager Darold Londo said. “We’re hoping to raise awareness once again that places like Waveland are still struggling to rebuild.”
With the change coming just five days before the fund-raiser, officials worried the effort might flop, Dugan said. Fortunately, the generosity of those attending the concert surprised its organizers. At the end of the night, Londo presented Mayor Longo with a check for $22,079. Longo expressed surprise at the considerable sum.
“We are just overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness and generosity,” he said after receiving the check. “Hurricane Katrina hit us hard about nine months go, but we’ve still got a long way to go to bring our city back. The money raised at Harrah’s Cherokee will help us get one step closer to getting our senior citizens center back in operation.”
Efforts to find a new home for senior activities have become very important as many elderly Waveland residents now find themselves stuck at home lacking essentials, Longo said.
“Before Katrina, we had about 400 active senior citizens in our Retired Senior Volunteer Program, but now that number is down to about 100,” he said. Most are living alone in tiny camper trailers, having little or no regular contact with family and friends, no means of getting around and little or no hope of rebuilding what they once had. Having a Senior Citizens Center again will give them a place to meet, a place to keep their minds busy and a chance to regain purpose in life.”
Town officials hope to use money from the fund-raiser to purchase a large home that sustained only moderate flood damage to replace the senior center, Dugan said. When that sale comes through, Harrah’s officials plan to organize a group of volunteers to help restore the building, she said.
The casino’s connection with Waveland is not limited to helping its elderly, Londo said.
“In addition to the donations collected at the event, Harrah’s Cherokee employees have raised money and collected clothing and shoes for Waveland’s lone distribution center,” Londo said after the event. “For anyone without transportation or money to drive to a nearby town, the distribution center is the only place people can go for food, clothing and even drinking water.”
The support will go a long way toward rebuilding the struggling town, Longo said.
“Everyone is trying hard to rebuild,” Longo said. “With help like we’ve received from Harrah’s Cherokee, I’m confident that eventually we’ll be bigger and better than ever.”
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