Tyson helped area families over this past Thanksgiving (Getty Images).

After viewing the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to his newly adopted city of New Orleans, New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler knew he had to help the rebuilding process. Assisting those left homeless became his immediate goal.

To that end, the Hornets’ star center established Rebound to Rebound – a program where his basketball prowess would assist those who so desperately need it. For each rebound recorded in the 2007-2008 season, Chandler personally donated a minimum of $10 for each of his career high 928 rebounds, to the Hornets’ charity Hoops for Homes. These two programs will rebuild houses for New Orleans teachers who had to move out of the city while finding ways to rebuild their homes that were flooded by the Hurricanes.

Tyson is also looking for corporate leaders and people in the community to join in his efforts; donations of a $1 or more are encouraged from fans and community-minded individuals or companies who want to help this great city rebuild.

You can also keep track of every rebound Tyson pulls down this season on the home page of this site.

In addition, Tyson has also recently teamed up with Men's Health to help with their FitSchools program. You can learn more about FitSchools here on TysonChandler.com.

Hoops for Homes

Following the devastation in the Gulf Coast region caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Hornets made a critical decision to assist their community in the recovery efforts in the New Orleans metropolitan area. It became apparent that providing housing and rebuilding homes would be the most significant issues. The Hornets established the Hoops for Homes Program to address the housing crisis.

Through the Hoops for Homes Program, the Hornets initially committed to fund the construction of 20 new homes. To date 10 families have been the beneficiaries of these efforts. The remaining homes are scheduled to be built throughout the season.

In an effort to expand the scope of the Hoops for Homes Program, the Hornets partnered with the Neighbor Housing Service of New Orleans, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Fund, and NeighborWorks America. The focus of this phase of the program, Hoops for Homes Teachers Initiative, is to provide “stop gap” funding to teachers.

The New Orleans Hornets, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (NHSNO), NeighborWorks and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Fund (LDRF) recognize that teachers provide a critical service which is vitally important in the rebuilding and betterment of the New Orleans metropolitan area. Each organization is committed to the recovery efforts throughout the region and has partnered to specifically help teachers rebuild their homes.

The objective of the Hornets Hoops for Homes Teachers Initiative is to provide financial assistance for home repairs to teachers residing in the metropolitan New Orleans area whose property was damaged as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hoops for Homes will provide “stop gap” funding to teachers that lack adequate funds to complete repairs on their homes. The goal for this season is to provide funding to assist 50 teachers with repairs to their homes

Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (NHS) has taken on the role to implement and execute the program. Working with local school districts, NHS will identify teachers and provide necessary resources and expertise that will enable them to complete repairs and get back into their homes to bring stability to their lives.

The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Fund, and NeighborWorks America have provided funding and technical assistance for the Hoops for Homes Initiative.