UNIVERSITY PARK | As the Chicago Bears scored a touchdown sealing their win against the New Orleans Saints in late January, a plane carrying Hilary Burkinshaw touched down in New Orleans.

Burkinshaw came to share her business counseling experience with New Orleans business owners. She is the director of the CenterPoint Business Development Center at Governors State University, which provides assistance to more than 600 business owners throughout Chicago each year.

She learned of volunteer opportunities through the International Economic Development Council, which coordinates activities in hurricane ravaged areas of the south in hopes of increasing the post-disaster survival rate of businesses.

Each week a different group of volunteers is dispatched. Activities include one-on-one business counseling, business retention and expansion, technical assistance, policy analysis and research, and strategic economic development planning.

"One of the most important jobs as a volunteer was to listen to the people's stories," Burkinshaw said in a news release. After learning about the business owners on a personal and business level, the counselors were better able to offer specific business advice.

While some businesses needed money to restart their businesses, others were looking for sites to relocate.

Louisiana, like Illinois, has an established business development network. However, it is understaffed and overwhelmed with the number of clients in need of services.

During Burkinshaw's visit, the federal government announced that it would make $110 billion in grants and $35 billion in loans available to New Orleans businesses to help jump-start economic development.

"People are so resilient," Burkinshaw said. "They've been through this horrible disaster and still haven't received the help they need in many ways, yet they still want to try and reopen their businesses. It's always about the people, they are the ones who make New Orleans the great city that is was and can be again."

- THE TIMES