WGNO

Pelicans donate thousands of dollars to Nicholls State University to help recover from Hurricane Ida

THIBODAUX, La. (WGNO) — On Thursday, Nicholls State University announced the New Orleans Pelicans donated $100,000 to Nicholls State University for hurricane relief.

The donation is meant to help members of the Nicholls community recover from Hurricane Ida after most of the university’s service region was devastated by the storm on August 29.


Student-athletes were dispersed across several states and had to gather at host universities in order to keep the hopes of competition alive according to officials from the university.

The donation will help offset some of the unexpected costs the university experienced to keep athletic teams working together, even in the aftermath of the storm.

“We are so grateful for generous partners like the New Orleans Pelicans for coming to our aid in a time of need,” said Nicholls President Dr. Jay Clune. “This donation will benefit not only student-athletes but also many of our students who lost homes in this storm. This will help so many students continue to succeed in the face of adversity.” 

Gayle Benson, team governor of the New Orleans Pelicans added, “It brings the Pelicans family great joy to contribute to the Nicholls State University hurricane relief fund. Our partners at Nicholls did a fabulous job of hosting our open practice this past weekend and we are appreciative of the hurricane relief work their team is doing to help support students in the community. We must continue to support those impacted by Hurricane Ida’s destruction.” 

The Nicholls Foundation created the Campus Emergency and Hurricane Relief Fund to help students, faculty and staff who have been impacted by storms such as Hurricane Ida. Money from the donations will be used to help the Nicholls community recover from the storm and get back on their feet. To donate, visit here