With your help, we can keep #SOTXSTRONG.

It’s no secret: Hurricane Harvey devastated large areas of our beloved Texas coastline communities, and many of us continue to feel the brunt of the storm’s impact. But out of all of the loss and devastation, one thing has been clear: Our athletes, families, volunteers, coaches and law enforcement officers are strong. They are so strong. In case you missed them, here are some tales of bravery and grace. 

Thanks to Harvey, we’re about to be in big trouble. We’re still feeling Hurricane Harvey’s devastating aftermath. Although our facilities along the Texas coast came through the storm undamaged, there’s still plenty of bad news: fundraising venues have canceled, some sponsors have redirected funds we were relying on, and some event participants have asked to get their money back because they’re facing huge struggles of their own. 

We face a shortfall of hundreds of thousands of dollars between now and the end of 2017. 

We’re facing a struggle to provide programs and services for our 58,333 children and adults with intellectual disabilities statewide. We’re taking steps to cut operational costs as much as possible – without sacrificing the programs and competitive events that our athletes and families depend on to improve their quality of life. We’re trying not to cancel competitions, something that would devastate our athletes and their families. Here’s where you come in: We’ve kicked off the #SOTXSTRONG challenge to help us raise $100,000 – or more! -- in 30 days. 

It’s a big goal, the biggest one we’ve ever undertaken in a campaign like this. But we’re confident that we’ll be successful, especially if you’re on our team. Join us in our big adventure! 

(Here’s a sneak peek at our commemorative #SOTXSTRONG Challenge Coin – next month, we’ll send out info on how to order this special fundraising coin that honors each of our area offices.)