Barbour to honor NY couple for Katrina donations

Barbour to honor NY couple for Katrina donations

Four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the governor of Mississippi is honoring an Upper West Side couple who helped raise $3.1 million for a community center.

Gov. Haley Barbour is feting Ellen Ratner, sister of real-estate developer Bruce Ratner, and her partner, Cholene Espinoza, today in his mansion for their work in creating the center in Pass Christian, which features dance classes, a yoga studio and the only public pool for 30 miles.

Espinoza — a former pilot who was supposed to have flown aboard ill-fated United Flight 93 on 9/11 before a schedule change — personally donated $130,000 to buy the land.

NY – Post
8/27/9