PATRONS for Bellaire Parks has started a fundraiser to help the First Reponders and City Staff who were affected by Hurricane Harvey while they worked hard to keep Bellaire citizens safe.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Harvey didn’t just affect a few families…it has touched every one of us in varying ways. Many of us remember the evening of the 26th when the rains started. We stocked up on water and all the essentials yet we still had no clue what unimaginable devastation the next few days would bring.
Many of us were lucky enough to be home with our families when Harvey hit. Although it may not diminish the fear somehow having your family next to you when disaster strikes is much more comforting than having to leave them or having them leave you to help protect other families.
We in Bellaire are very fortunate that our City staff was a brave one. They didn’t call in sick. They didn’t say that their home is flooding and that they couldn’t help. They showed up. They showed up and they stayed to help us for 5 days and more.
They rescued babies, elderly residents and many who for the first time in their lives probably wondered if help would ever come their way. They worked tirelessly to be sure we had water that is safe to drink and that our toilets would be able to flush. Our City Manager personally went to help pick up trash from our homes.
Forty city employees were personally impacted by the flood. That is approximately 25% of the city workforce. These employees were among but not limited to our First Responders, Public Works Staff, City Management, Parks Recreation and Facilities Staff, Library Staff, and all of those that worked in the Emergency Operations Center during Harvey. They lost homes. They lost vehicles. They are fathers and husbands mothers and daughters with families impacted by Harvey too. The difference is they couldn’t be with their own families because they showed up for us.
Our board, Patrons for Bellaire Parks, feels that we owe them a debt of gratitude and in the past week, have worked to set up the Bellaire Brave campaign to raise funds for these brave people that Bellaire is so lucky to have watching over us.
We have set up this fundraiser to help these brave members of our Bellaire family to get back on their feet and to help rebuild what they lost. Many of them were unable to get back into their homes for over 5 days to begin ripping up sheetrock or begin the process of finding other transportation when their vehicles flooded while they were here in Bellaire at work.
Harvey might have been one of the worst disasters we have experienced, but it has brought about some of the greatest acts of kindness we personally have ever witnessed. The Bellaire Brave are examples of what is best in Bellaire…stength, generosity, and spirit. This is a defining moment for us as a community.
Let us rise higher than the waters of Harvey and truly make a difference by showing the Bellaire Brave how very much they matter.
For one and all, Bellaire always stands tall.
Here is how we can help them:
Click here to donate online or at bellaireparks.org under Bellaire Brave
All funds will be restricted to affected city personnel. Every bit helps.
Our friends at Big Frog Custom Shirts have graciously donated Bellaire Brave shirts for a minimum $35 donation while supplies last.
Last but not least, you can thank them when you see them next and thank their families for sharing them with us all.
Come thank the City Staff at the Pre National Night Out Party – The Raod to Recovery Celebration.
