ESA Foundation Donates $75,000 For Hurricane Relief

The Entertainment Software Association's ESA Foundation has announced that it has contributed $75,000 to Save the Children for Gulf Coast Hurricane relief and recovery efforts. According to ESA officials, this gift was made in recognition of the children's continued vulnerability, Save the Children programs to help them recover and thrive, and the official beginning of the new hurricane season on June 1. The funding from ESA Foundation, which was "created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that make a difference in the lives of America's youth", will be used for Save the Children's work with children in the hardest-hit areas of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Save the Children is using this and other donations in its efforts to re-establish child care centers, provide in-school and after-school support for children affected by the hurricanes, and establish and broaden the reach of summer camps in Mississippi and Louisiana that will focus on educational achievement, literacy, hurricane preparedness, the arts and sports. "We are proud to give Save the Children this gift to help rebuild the lives of children impacted by last year's hurricanes," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. "The devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was the worst America has seen. Children of these disasters deserve a safe environment in which they can recover physically, emotionally and spiritually and begin to thrive once again."