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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 142
BY REPRESENTATIVE WESLEY BISHOP
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Make It Right Foundation and its founder, Brad Pitt, for their contributions
to New Orleans' recovery following Hurricane Katrina.
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to commend the Make It Right Foundation and its
founder, actor Brad Pitt, for providing affordable, green housing to residents of the city of
New Orleans in the post-Katrina era; and
WHEREAS, Make It Right was founded by actor and Missourian, Brad Pitt, in late
2007 as a response to his frustration with the progress of rebuilding in New Orleans' poorest
communities like the Lower Ninth Ward, which lost four thousand homes to the flooding
that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005; and
WHEREAS, when Brad Pitt formed Make It Right, he made a promise to help
rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood by developing at least one hundred fifty safe,
green, and affordable homes for working families; and
WHEREAS, since he made his monumental promise, Make It Right and some of the
world's most renowned architects have designed and constructed seventy-five homes in the
Lower Ninth Ward, establishing new standards for affordable, energy efficient, single-family
homes; and
WHEREAS, as the anchor for redevelopment in the Lower Ninth Ward, Make It
Right's homes have been a catalyst for the rebirth of a neighborhood that is now recognized
as "the largest and greenest neighborhood of single family homes in the world" by the United
States Green Building Council; and
WHEREAS, Make It Right's work is a symbol of New Orleans' emerging leadership
in green development; the organization shares the lessons it has learned with other projects
around the world in an effort to make sustainable homes a reality in other low-income
communities; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 142
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WHEREAS, Make It Right's rebuilding effort has a broad and lasting social impact,
proving what can be accomplished when companies and individuals come together to
collectively support the people of a great American city; and
WHEREAS, for nearly seven heartbreaking years since Hurricane Katrina, many
Lower Ninth Ward families have struggled to make ends meet and find a way back home;
and
WHEREAS, since they have moved home, Make It Right families have enjoyed
significantly lower monthly utility payments, cleaner air, chemical-free homes, and, most
of all, reconnecting with friends and family in their beloved neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, Make It Right has proven that it is possible to build safe, healthy, and
energy-efficient homes that are also affordable; and
WHEREAS, Make It Right is a real-world training program for local tradespeople
and businesses, helping position New Orleans at the center of the movement toward
sustainable construction; and
WHEREAS, in addition to approaching completion of its first one hundred fifty
homes in New Orleans, Make It Right has begun developing projects in Newark, Kansas
City, and other United States communities in need; and
WHEREAS, since 2007, Make it Right has turned a tragedy into an opportunity by
helping countless Louisiana families return to safe and sustainable homes and helping the
city of New Orleans transition into a twenty-first century city; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Louisiana take pride in the fact that Brad Pitt and his
family have chosen to establish a home in the great city of New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, the Make it Right Foundation merits a special measure of
commendation for its extraordinary contributions to the city of New Orleans.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Brad Pitt and the Make it Right Foundation
for providing affordable, green housing to residents of the city of New Orleans and does
hereby extend enduring appreciation for the tremendous honor and pride that Mr. Pitt and
the entire Make It Right family bring to the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and
the United States of America. ENROLLEDHR NO. 142
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Brad Pitt.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES