Rebuild Texas Fund: Looking Back on Three Years

Three years ago, Hurricane Harvey brought destruction to the doorsteps of Texas’ families, businesses, and communities, on a scale never seen before. As the rain was still falling, the Rebuild Texas Fund was born to support families and communities impacted by the storm.

The sheer magnitude of the devastation brought about by Hurricane Harvey – over $125 billion of damage in just a 36-hour period, impacting eight million people across 41 counties – was daunting. We knew right away that this would be a collective effort of rebuilding, and that it would take resources from far and wide to be successful. The $100 million donated from people across the country was the first step toward recovery. It was invaluable, and there is no way we could have helped the communities rebuild in the way that they did without it.

Students train with Digital Workforce Academy in Southeast Texas.

An emergency responder with Tri-County EMS demonstrates the CPR machine outfitting this ambulance.

Volunteers with Eight Days of Hope contribute to home repairs in Dickinson, Texas.

Learning Undefeated is launched in Refugio, providing science, technology, engineering and math education to schools throughout the Texas Gulf Coast.

Children kick off the Little League season in Ingleside after the ballpark was repaired.

Small business owner Dana Alsop and florist Melodie Friedrichs mark the reopening of their event space and floral shop in Refugio.

From the outset, we knew the only way to make the greatest impact was to listen to and learn from the families and communities who were suffering. That meant spending time with them – seeing homes that were destroyed, visiting schools that were now in trailers, talking to business owners who had lost everything. It also meant working alongside a diverse array of organizations to amplify our impact, including government, education, business, and nonprofits.

Today, $100 million is at work in Texas communities with 290 projects across all 41 impacted counties. As of August 2020, over two million people have been directly served through these projects, encompassing the following:

The work of rebuilding is still ongoing, and the OneStar Foundation team will be continuing to support the efforts. As we never can predict when another natural disaster will occur, OneStar is the perfect organization to maintain their steadfast work on behalf of the State of Texas.

It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this collective team of people, near and far, who have contributed to this effort. We know Texas will continue to get stronger and more resilient than ever. I am proud to be Texas Strong.

With gratitude,

Neeraj Aggarwal
Program Director, Rebuild Texas Fund

Rebuild Texas Fund: Three-Year Recap

To learn more about the work of the Rebuild Texas Fund’s support of Hurricane Harvey relief, download our recap.

Download the Recap