ST. GEORGE - SkyWest Airlines presented a check for over $202,000 Wednesday, to its sister carrier, Atlantic Southeast Airlines in Gulfport, Miss., in an effort to aid those who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"Not a penny contributed went to anyone but the people in need," said Necia Clark-Mantle, a SkyWest Airlines vice president. "The process was extremely thorough in evaluating each individual circumstance and awarding the funds according to need."

The amount collected represents a 100 percent match of donated employee paid time off and monetary donations from 549 SkyWest team members across the nation. Catherine Eby, a spokeswoman for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, said the relief dollars were able to go directly to 39 employees and their families, 13 of which lost their homes during the hurricane.

"Our employees are overwhelmed by the generosity and support we received by everyone in the face of this tragedy," Eby said. "The SkyWest family as a whole is helping them to get back on their feet." Clark-Mantle said several of those employees lived in airport jetways for weeks, and are now sleeping in FEMA-provided travel trailers in the Gulfport parking lot.

"I was amazed time and again by the strength of resolve, the sense of hope and the spirit of family this special team of people have developed in the face of overwhelming disaster," Clark-Mantle said.

Within this neighborhood of trailers is a gathering place with a makeshift playground for the children and a Christmas tree.

"The row of borrowed cardboard-like travel trailers managed to project the feeling of a close-knit community," Clark-Mantle said.

When the check was unveiled, Clark-Mantle said the room became "an ocean of emotion." Each selected employee was presented with a gift bag and a relief check, some totaling up to $11,000.

This overwhelming experience touched Clark-Mantle because she said she saw the true gratitude and hope in the faces of those in need.

"I am grateful to the people of Gulfport for reminding me so clearly the true resilience of the human spirit," Clark-Mantle said. "We often see the best of people in the worst of times."