WASHINGTON -- Thousands of Washington area residents donated more than $56,000 Sunday in response to WHUR 96.3 FM’s 12-hour radio marathon to raise money to help Howard University students return to New Orleans for a third year to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The money will help send 550 Howard student volunteers over spring break to rebuild the homes and lives of people in the "Big Easy," where many are still living in trailers more than two years after the hurricane destroyed their homes and forced thousands of residents to abandon the city.

The live broadcast featured university and elected officials, including Howard President H. Patrick Swygert, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Prince George's County First Lady and Howard alumna Leslie E. Johnson.

New Orleans residents and student volunteers also were interviewed on the program.

Howard students braved freezing temperatures and 20 mph winds Sunday to form a "Bucket Brigade" along Georgia Avenue and Bryant Streets outside the university so motorists could contribute to the event.

This year's trip, dubbed “Unfinished Business in New Orleans” will continue the university's legacy of leadership and service to the Gulf region.

Over the past two years, 750 Howard students have joined thousands of students from other universities and colleges across the country to aid New Orleans residents.

The students were housed in public schools and other makeshift facilities while they worked on homes, public buildings and other facilities damaged by the hurricane, which swept through the city in the fall of 2005.

Volunteers include undergraduate, graduate, and Howard University Law School students as well as University faculty and staff.