A week after catastrophic flooding devastated Kerr County and its neighbors, the Community Foundation of The Texas Hill Country announced that donations from around the world have poured in through its Kerr County Flood Relief Fund in the amount of $30 million, $5 million of which was distributed to meet immediate needs for local organizations during a planned press event held downtown Friday morning.
“There are no words,” Austin Dickson, Chief Financial officer of CFTHC, said. “People have lost family members, children, pets, homes, livelihoods, vehicles, personal property … everything. It boggles the mind. There are still people missing. We don’t know their whereabouts.”
Dickson said that the fund was created early July 4 when he first learned of the magnitude of the flooding that was occurring at the time.
“In normal times, we make grants to nonprofit organizations and award scholarships to students going to college or technical school. These are not normal times. Instead, we have created the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to raise charitable dollars from our community, from across the state of Texas and the world to respond.”
Dickson said that as of the moment he was speaking, a total of 100,000 individuals had made donations to assist the local community through the flood relief fund.
“This is a moment of collective grief, but as someone who is a part of a philanthropic response, I can tell you it is also a moment of extraordinary love today in the midst of what is unimaginable and incomprehensible,” Dickson said. “We are also feeling immense gratitude as we share some news.”
Dickson announced H-E-B has donated $2 million, in addition to countless supply donations and operating a mobile kitchen in Ingram.
“Their volunteers have jumped in to provide on the ground hot meals, cleaning supplies, gift cards, water and volunteer support,” Dickson said. “And we’re grateful to our local grocer. We’re also grateful to another company we’re proud to call Kerrville Home, and that’s the James Avery Artisan Jewelry Company with its donation of $500,000.”
Dickson also acknowledged efforts by Broadway Bank for converting branch offices into donations centers, as well as community foundations in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas for offering staff support.
“I would also like to thank all of the first responders in our community, both local and those who have traveled from very far to search for our missing children and search for our family members and keep us reunited and safe,” Dickson said. “This moment has certainly brought out the best in people.”
Dickson said he, his staff and board of directors understand the need for immediate relief needed by local individuals and organizations, saying the first distribution of Kerr County Fund Relief Fund dollars would be divided into four areas of need.
“So today I’m pleased to announce $5 million in initial grant distributed across four areas of need, all to local organizations doing work on the ground today. We’re making $1.25 million in grants available for direct support to individuals and families,” Dickson said. “This is cash assistance and food to people in need to put money, gift cards, rent assistance, utility assistance, and other emergency needs in their hands.”
The foundation divided its first $5 million in grants across four critical areas:
• $1.25 million for direct support to individuals and families, including cash assistance, food, gift cards, rent assistance and utility help
• $1.25 million for local businesses through no-interest loans and emergency cash grants
• $1.25 million for first responder agencies needing tools, supplies and unrestricted funds
• $1.25 million for crisis response, including a $450,000 grant to Schreiner University, which converted its campus into emergency operations and housing for first responders
Personal Connections Run Deep
The disaster struck particularly close to home for many speakers at Friday’s announcement. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy said his family traditionally celebrates July 4 at Louise Hays Park, directly below where the press conference was held.
“My kids, when they were little, that’s where we took them,” Roy said. “We’d be swimming, hanging out on the Fourth of July. It was the central part to a time with people from all over the state, frankly all over the country, come to this part of the country to celebrate.”
Dr. Chris Avery, chairman of James Avery Artisan Jewelry, revealed his family’s deep ties to Camp Mystic, one of the facilities hardest hit by the flooding. His father first started making camp charms nearly 70 years ago, and generations of the Avery family have attended the camp since the 1950s.
“Along with all this tragedy and destruction, it’s been incredible seeing such an outpouring of love, compassion and giving,” Avery said. “Our family, too, shares in your pain as we grieve not only the loss of dear friends over this last week, but also a young beloved family member.”
In addition, Avery said 100 percent of all proceeds from the sale of James Avery Artisan Jewelry’s Deep in the Heart of Texas charm will benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, which he estimates will be $4 million to $5 million.
Grant recipients speak
Amy Hereford, president and CEO of LiftFund, a San Antonio-based nonprofit lender, emphasized the urgency of helping small businesses recover quickly.
“National data shows that 40 percent of small businesses will permanently close if they can’t get access to funding within the first two weeks of disaster, and 25 percent more will close within that year,” Hereford said. “When small businesses fall, communities unravel.”
The disaster hit particularly hard in the small community of Hunt, where Chief Lee Pool of the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department has watched his department transform into both a first responder agency and a crisis center.
“The sheer magnitude of the support that we’ve been getting in Hunt is unbelievable,” Pool said. “You have to come see it to believe it. This is the Lord’s work. God is present in Kerr County.”
Dickson became emotional when he shared the origin of the fund’s first donation, which came from a local teenager who volunteered at the Arcadia Theater, which served as a reunification center for campers and families. Dickson said when a parent from another Texas city gave the teen a $40 tip for helping with logistics, the teenager walked to the Community Foundation and donated both $20 bills to the Flood Relief Fund.
“That was the first donation into these grants to support these reunification centers,” Dickson said.
Future plans
The foundation outlined a five-phase recovery plan: immediate financial assistance, community cleanup, repair of structures and mental health resources, rebuilding of damaged areas, and long-term recovery efforts.
Dickson said the foundation will assemble a community advisory committee of 12 to 15 local leaders to oversee the flood relief fund and make “data-driven and heart-led decisions about local response to local needs.”
“This is not the Community Foundation’s work,” Dickson said. “This is a collective effort of our community, of the state of Texas, of the United States, and frankly, the world. What I’ve also noticed is everyone here has been transformed. Everyone has become a helper and everyone has become a hero.”
The foundation plans to provide another update by the end of the month on next steps for the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Donations can be made at communityfoundation.net.
“We are going to do so much good because we are from Texas and Texans step up and we handle it,” Dickson said. “This community, this region, and this state is not ready for the power of philanthropy that is coming to this town.”
These grants are already being disbursed to vetted nonprofit partners actively serving affected communities across the Hill Country. For the full list of nonprofit organizations receiving grants, please visit https://www.communityfoundation.net/kerr-county-flood-relief-grants.
To ensure future funding decisions are guided by community voices, the Foundation also introduced plans to form a Community Advisory Committee. This committee will include local nonprofit leaders, residents and stakeholders who will help advise on long-term recovery investments and equitable resource distribution.
To donate or learn more about the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, visit www.communityfoundation.net.
Read full article here: https://www.hccommunityjournal.com/article_e5630711-31fe-48d9-a40d-6195eab6aea6.html
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