Courtesy: USAT

USA Triathlon has made a donation to the Red Cross to honor its members, race directors and others who live in the region. Even though it has been five months since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast, USA Triathlon realizes that things are far from "back to normal" for the residents and former residents of the affected areas.

The donation money came from USAT members and was matched by USA Triathlon.

"The original plan was to give money directly to our members in the New Orleans area," said USA Triathlon Executive Director Skip Gilbert. "But we realized that it was not our role to decide who deserved money and who didn't need it."

USAT Board of Directors President Brad Davison agreed.

"Not everyone was impacted in the same way by this natural disaster," said Davison. "The Red Cross was definitely the right place to send the money."