NEW ORLEANS — No. 9 has done it again.
Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has added another mark on a long list of gifts to the people of New Orleans. According to a report by NOLA.com, the 13-year team leader and philanthropist quietly chipped in to help build a much needed K-12 school for the Columbia Parc community in Gentilly.
Brees donated $250,000 to help complete the new KIPP Believe school building that opened in March, according to NOLA.com. Before the $26 million facility was finished, students in the area had to wake up early to attend separate grade schools in different parts of the city.
NOLA.com: Drew Brees' latest gift to New Orleans? Saints QB donates $250K to help build school in Gentilly
"It's the beacon of hope mentality," Brees said. "You go into an area that otherwise didn't have any hope and transform it. It not only gave hope within, but it lets everyone else around it know what's possible."
The new school serves as a major step for the area still coming recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
Brees' also recently gave $200,000 to renovate the locker rooms at Ben Franklin High School, and donated 10,000 shirts to students from the Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools, according to NOLA.com.