Who we are

Coastal Community Relief is a group of friends and colleagues of the community leaders in Grand Isle and of the Grand Calliou/Dulac Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw. As part of the Williams-Mystic Coastal and Ocean Studies Program, we have brought undergraduate students to Louisiana since 2004, teaching them about coastal communities and natural environments.

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We have developed deep and lasting relationships with the people who have welcomed us into their homes and their lives, and given generously of their time and expertise. Now we want to give back and are raising funds to help them in this time of need, providing food and shelter directly to those suffering, and contributing to the recovery effort. 

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We successfully raised and distributed funds following Hurricane Katrina (2005) and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010), and so we have experience in making sure that donations are properly managed and promptly delivered to where they are needed. The recipients are our trusted partners, and with decades of experience in taking care of their communities.

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Committee Members

• Katy Robinson Hall S'84, Environmental Lawyer & Professor of Marine Policy at Williams-Mystic 

• Rónadh Cox, Professor of Geosciences at Williams College

• Jim Carlton, Williams-Mystic Director Emeritus

• Mary O'Loughlin, Deputy Director at Williams-Mystic  

• Audra DeLaney S'18

• Bridget Hall S'17 

• Jaye Starr F'03 

• Katie Clark F'08 

• Lyndsey Pyrke-Fairchild F'03 

• Rachel Rock-Blake F'07 

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Funds raised through Coastal Community Relief’s Post-Hurricane Ida Relief Effort (PHIRE) through October 8, 2021 were distributed to the Mayor's Community Fund for the Town of Grand Isle, and to the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw nonprofit organization. Both communities are using the funds to assist residents with immediate crucial needs.  After October 8, all of the funds raised through this campaign will be donated to the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw.