As the holidays approach, our thoughts turn to others and to gift giving. This winter, The H. E. Butt Family Foundation has expanded its annual Christmas Tribute program to help families and campers recently affected by Hurricane Harvey.
In August and September, many Texas families and campers experienced tremendous loss at the hands of the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. Harvey made landfall with 130 mph winds on August 25 as a Category Four hurricane near Corpus Christi and later struck the Houston region as an unrelenting tropical storm, dumping more than 50 inches of rain on the area, according to local news sources and the National Hurricane Center. As a result, more than 75 people died, over 30,000 people were displaced, and over $70 billion in damages were sustained in the floods that followed.
Some longtime friends of the Foundation report that they are still living in temporary housing, documenting their remaining possessions, rebuilding their lives, and helping to heal and transform their hard-hit communities—all while balancing regular school, work, and home obligations. As they face this financial and emotional strain, our extended HEBFF family is gathering together to offer a little hope to them this Christmas. We want to ensure these families have the opportunity to attend camp or a retreat, because we believe many of our guests experience God’s transformation when they visit the Canyon. Let’s work together to give these families outrageous hospitality and abundant resources meant to deepen relationships and enrich their faith during this season of loss.
The annual Christmas Tribute mailer should have landed in your mailbox earlier this month. We anticipate some of our beloved campers and families who have experienced financial strain may be unable to afford attending camp or a retreat in 2018. Join us in helping these individuals by checking the Hurricane Harvey box on the mailer’s reply envelope. A $50, $100, or $250 donation will go a long way toward providing scholarships for a child, family, individual, or couple.
Your generous Christmas Tribute gifts benefit many scholarship recipients annually. In 2017 we hope to raise an additional $20,000 in financial assistance— above and beyond our normal scholarship goal of $400,000—to serve families and children affected by Hurricane Harvey. After we reach our goal for the Hurricane Harvey fund, any additional gifts will support scholarships for all programs.
