Television host Stephen Colbert may be known for his satirical humor, but he’s using his resources to reach out to the Gulf Coast region in the midst of the ongoing oil spill.Colbert approached the Baton Rouge Area Foundation on Monday to establish an online nationwide donation portal. The portal will use received contributions to help nonprofit organizations along the Gulf Coast to refurbish in the wake of the environmental disaster.The initiative is referred to as the Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fund. Colbert announced the project for the first time Monday night on his Comedy Central series “The Colbert Report.”Colbert is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer and political satirist. He was named Celebrity of the Year in 2007 by The Associated Press.Mukul Verma, spokesman for the BRAF, said Colbert was searching for an organization to align with to help those affected by the oil spill.Verma said Colbet’s sister-in-law knows the CEO of the BRAF through a group they were both involved with made up of leaders of community foundations.”It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “A lot of people are already giving to it.”Donations received are already totaling large quantities, according to Vera.”All proceeds will help the people of the Gulf states,” Colbert said Monday night on the “Report.”Microsoft agreed to donate $2,500 to the organization every time Colbert referenced Bing, the company’s web search engine, during his program Monday. Colbert managed to squeeze the word “Bing” into his show 40 times, bringing Microsoft’s total donations to $100,000.Verma said Colbert will continue to promote the donation opportunity — which does not yet have an established end date — on “The Colbert Report” and his website.The BRAF is a community foundation established to award grants to nonprofit organizations, including LSU Foundation, Baton Rouge Food Bank and Boy Scouts.  BRAF also participates in civic leadership initiatives, which involve development projects intended to better the community and state. Verma said an initiative the organization has undertaken is reviving Old South Baton Rouge, the area between the University and downtown.People interested in donating to the Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fund can visit www.braf.org.–
Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected]