Over the course of his 15 years as the face of the franchise in New Orleans, Drew Brees developed a special connection with the city through extensive and ongoing community outreach.
And as the general manager of the Lowe's Home Team, it was only right that he found a way to impact the city he loves through the 100 Hometowns initiative.
Brees supported renovations of Burnell’s Internet Café -- a local business still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina -- where people of all ages can come and take advantage of the free internet. The legendary quarterback joined red vest volunteers by painting the exterior of the café and helping to build a fence.
“You need people to band together, bring awareness to what’s happening here and that’s what’s great about the Lowe’s 100 Hometowns campaign," Brees told Forbes. "We have the opportunity to shed light on the great things that Mr. Burnell is doing, what he’s created here and what he’ll be able to create with the Internet cafe. Hopefully, that spawns other people wanting to provide resources and funding."
The business provides an opportunity for those in the community to complete tasks and school assignments in a safe, congregational space. Aside from the local library, there is no place where residents of the Lower Ninth Ward – adults and children alike – can access free internet.
Mr. Burnell, the business owner, said establishing an internet cafe is a “win-win” for the community. The population of the Lower Ninth Ward dropped significantly after Katrina, and today it is only 37% of what it was in 2000. Every one of these households, Burnell said, would benefit from this space. More broadly, investment in the community shows that it can “get back to something.”
Lowe’s also committed $2 million to support efforts after Hurricane Ida made landfall, becoming the second-most dangerous and intense hurricane to strike the state behind Katrina, leaving 1 million-plus residents without power or water. Efforts included 14,000 disaster relief buckets to impacted communities, mobile shower and laundry units and 20,000 hot meals.
