In the News

Catholic Herald, April 20, 2006
Gambit, July 4, 2006

News Release

  NEW WEB SITE CONNECTS GULF COAST BUSINESSES WITH ONLINE SHOPPERS

Now that the Gulf Coast and New Orleans are in the rebuilding phase, people have an opportunity to directly help businesses in the Hurricane Katrina-damaged area -- by shopping online.  The Web site, www.shoptorebuild.org is a one-stop shopping site that lists businesses in the Gulf Coast area that are rebuilding and open for Internet commerce. From unique crafts, jewelry, and antiques to artwork, music, cosmetics, baked goods, and candy, shopetorebuild.org can help buyers find just the right gift or item for their home, while helping a small Mississippi or Louisiana business begin anew.

Shoptorebuild.org began as a class project at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.  Two Marymount faculty members developed the Web site with the assistance of graduate and undergraduate students.  As a native of New Orleans, Nancy Furlow, Ph.D., assistant professor of Management and Marketing, saw the damage first-hand last September, when she went to Mississippi to check on her parents. “I was so overwhelmed by the damage on the Coast,” explains Dr. Furlow, "that I felt I had to do more than donate money to a national charity. That’s when I came up with the idea for a Web site that would direct people who wanted to contribute personally to businesses in the Katrina-devastated area.” She adds, “We wanted to directly assist in bringing back commerce, especially for small retail shops that cannot survive without customers.  Promoting commerce is a positive and creative way to assist Gulf Coast communities as they rebuild.”