Keep Texas Beautiful established the Rebuilding Texas Fund in August 2017 to support our affiliate communities in Texas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Donations collected through the Fund are granted to affiliate communities through Rebuilding Texas Grants to fund rebuilding and revitalization projects in areas affected by natural disaster and other intense destruction; and educational initiatives related to disaster preparedness and disaster debris management.
Hurricane Harvey caused tremendous devastation throughout the state of Texas, causing over 100 fatalities and billions of dollars in damage and losses to residents throughout the state. In addition, public spaces including parks, gardens and beaches were destroyed or severely damaged.
Through its Rebuilding Texas Fund, Keep Texas Beautiful will provide financial assistance to its affiliate communities that were damaged by Hurricane Harvey. With the funds raised, KTB will provide grants to its affiliate communities so that they can re-build and restore their public spaces. In addition, KTB will provide educational initiatives for disaster preparedness and disaster debris management to minimize the impact of future severe weather events.
Community restoration and rebuilding spreads beyond the project and into the community. Rebuilding public spaces and beautifying communities post-disaster adds resiliency by re-creating a sense of normalcy. After the initial response, many community members will want to return to previous activities, which involve public parks, beaches, gardens, and communal meeting spaces. These re-building projects can be a mechanism for communities to re-engage residents and to bring hope for the future.
