Today in Texas, people are still cleaning up from Hurricane Harvey and will be for weeks and months to come but so much love has and is coming this way its been humbling just to be a small part of the outpouring. And as I write this, Hurricane Irma is pounding the Florida keys. I know we are all praying for Florida and I hope they receive the same kind of love and support that is being given to so many Texans. They are going to need it. And there are still needs and efforts going on here.
Saturday, our local School Board President, Natalie Lange (you have seen her name on my blog before she is also a very talented photographer) and her husband Harper and precious boys, loaded up and brought two of over 15 loads of supplies our schools here have collected to Vidor, Texas, near Beaumont. You may have read and noticed all of the connecting on Instagram. Vidor is one of the many small towns hard hit by Harvey that has been suffering and in dire need of supplies. It also happens to be the hometown of dear friend, Becki Griffin, who is also photographer and stylist you hear me talk about often here. Becki and her sister Suzette, who lost most of her home her go fund me and info are here, are discovering and pinpointing a lot of need in those small town areas east of Houston.
Becki’s sister Suzette in the white and her two daughters to her left and Brenham’s Natalie Lange in the green shirt with her family Harper and sons to her right, this photos makes me so happy..one little town helping another! Brenham teacher Kaylee Roznovsky coordinated the Brenham effort and her energy and love is just contagious. Thank you Kaylee for all you have done for so many communities including our own!
From filling trails with generators and diaper and cleaning products to designers in the Northeast planning ways to help, a lot has been going on . . . Design friend Jill Hinson of Portland, Oregon, saw Becki’s post on Instagram and instantly who wanted to help! Again you have heard me talk about Jill Hinson here on the blog. We have been design pen pals for years and she helped with the class I did earlier this year at M.D. Haney in Oregon. I met many of her friends at a lunch when I was there and I am not supposed they wanted to help. First, Jill put together this gofundme drive to gather funds among her friends to send to Texas. Then Jill and her daughter and friends wanted to figure how to do something hands on in addition to just making donations. She and friends Allie Jenson and Erin Duffy of Happy Candles, and her darling daughter Abby, put together an event on Saturday to raise funds for gift cards to send to Texas at a local shop and event…so smart and just kind and nice..in the words of Becki on Jill’s IG post yesterday
Just knowing this beautiful gesture happened today halfway across the country the people of a little town in Texas gives us hope and strength. We feel the love and thank you from the bottom of tired broken hearts.
What is amazing is these are just drops in the buckets of things that are happening all over Texas and beyond, with everyone I know..connections being made on social media and needs being filled! I am sure each of you reading know of someone that has created some special way to give or drag their boat down here and help..I haven’t even touched on the scores of people that have come in boats to just help..rescue and save lives. Just regular individuals with jet skis and boats. I have heard it before but have truly see it with this storm that “when Mother Nature is at her worst, human nature is at its best!’ So true, people are full of empathy and want to help! I think Satan wants the world to believe that many Americans are selfish and divided and hate one another but these tragedies prove that is not true! It is not true, we are in this together, not just in Texas but our entire country, from small towns to big cities.
Last but not least I want to tell you about my designer/friend/client Robin Jackson from Austin. Again, Robin wanted to help and is very moved my what is happening in her native state…she has family ties to the area near Becki’s hometown. Photo below highlighting Robin’s effort to help is by Becki Griffin of her sister Suzette’s home near Vidor during tear out last week.
Rebuild/Recovery/Restoration Relief
She has been helping with the efforts of Austin’s Cord Shiflet called #fillatruck. Then Robin and Becki connected last week and the iPhones started smoking! Robin saying “what do you need I WILL GET IT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE people in my neighborhood and community want to help!” Here is the link to her gofundme page, go and read her words on the page, really good. And so its happening, people who are not social workers and have never done aid relief are filling their trucks, renting uhauls, taking their boats, whatever it takes to help those in need. ROBIN IS STILL GATHERING SUPPLIES and will deliver those items to the Vidor area the end of this week. So you live in or around Austin you still have time to donate to this effort, follow Robin for details or questions or message she or I for more info.
WE ARE COLLECTING
Sheetrock
Sheetrock Mud
R13 Insulation
Sheetrock Screws
Hardy Board
Tools: Hammers, Saws, Crowbars, Scissors, Drills
Extension Cords
Work Boots
Masks
Gloves
Mold Killer/Bleach
All Purpose Cleaner and Rags/Mops/Scrubbers
Anything else that can be used in these efforts…GIFT CARDS!Items on this list will be purchased, by me, Robin Jackson, locally in Austin and loaded into a Uhaul truck. We are also accepting “on the ground” donations from any individuals wanting to go that route. After our truck is full, probably Monday or Tuesday of next week, we will deliver directly to the fine folks at the East Gate Pentecostal Church in Vidor, Texas. They did not flood and have been doing a fantastic job of supply distribution. They have the ability to receive our materials and the manpower to unload and store supplies. If you desire contact information directly to the church, please message me and I can give you that information.
If you are local in ATX, and wish to donate actual goods and materials, we have a way to do that too! Just message me and I will give you info on how to proceed. Or, check for an update later today, Friday September 8th, with directions on where to take your donated or purchased items to fill the truck. We will use the funds to purchase the items that we seem to have the least of when it’s time to head to Vidor!
My heritage runs deep in this part of Texas. My daddy hails from Port Neches/Groves, a tiny area outside of Port Arthur that was hit hard by Harvey. My mom grew up in nearby Nederland, directly across the street from the high school football stadium in a house that is likely wiped out at this point. I appreciate your consideration of helping out this very special part of our state. They need us!
(All withdrawls made from this account on GoFundMe will come directly out of the account, and will not be used as a “reimbursement.” I anticipate that these funds will underwrite the cost of the Uhaul truck, gasoline to get down there, and the cost of actual items on the list. I will be documenting all receipts and expenditures. Any of this documentation will be available….just ask! 🙂 )
And again, this is just a drop in the bucket, these are just the relief efforts I am privileged enough to know about and have a small part in…there are dozens, hundreds more..just connect where you can and where you feel led.
I am going to put more of this on the Hurricane Page on my top tab of main page but for now HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR IMMEDIATE NEEDS IF YOU CAN’T GET THING TO ROBIN’S TRUCK OR YOU DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. Becki says in her latest blog post which you can read in full here:
It can be overwhelming to know exactly how to help flood victims. There are many large operations to donate to and equally large concerns of where the money goes.I want to help the town of Vidor in a couple of very specific ways. Our small towns are struggling and I want to help. Here are two ways to help a small Texas Town: I am collecting gift cards in small denominations to put directly into the hands of people that need them.Gift cards to WalMart, Target, Amazon, Ace Hardware, Home Depot and Lowe’s give these family access to supplies immediately. Some smart Instagram friends e-mailed me e-gift cards that I was able to distribute that very same day! I love that! But we’re not even close to done. Let’s get more! You may not have access to a way to ship a large quantity of these items but you might know someone that does and wants to help. Ask them! and then contact me. Send them this post! Send them my e-mail! I have a direct connection in Vidor that is able to receive large donations and distribute them and I would love to coordinate a delivery. If you’re out of state and don’t have a way to ship large quantities U-Haul offers a service that might be an option for you. Fill a portable storage container with donations and ship it to us. If you would like to send me gift cards you’ve collected or have a shipment of building materials you’d like to donate, please email me atbecki@curiousdetails.com.
Our friend Holly Kuhn, of Old Glory Antiques just sent Becki an envelope full of gift cards from Denver, they mail easy! That is something we can all easily collect among friends and family and do OR if you want to #fillatruck thats still a need too!
And yes Round Top Antique Fair is happening here too..some people already set up..more on that at goingtoroundtop.com and I will have more on the Old Glory Texas store and other goings on in a couple of days..Life does go, bittersweet and at different rates and timing for everyone but life and activities do go on . . .but let’s don’t forget the ones in Houston, Vidor, Florida, Rockport, on and on. I don’t think we will.
