Texas flood survivors gain support from Longboat Key church

Not even a year into its own recovery from devastating hurricanes, one Longboat Key church has turned its attention to also helping another community recover from an unexpectedly damaging natural disaster.

Christ Church of Longboat Key's Rev. Julia Piermont said the church raised $21,514 to donate to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund with its Aug. 3 lunch fundraiser.

"It's a great joy to be doing something generous for others today," she said before offering up a prayer for recovering communities and sharing insight into the church's personal connection to the crisis.

The church was inspired to host the event after learning more about what Texas community members experienced during the flooding through congregation members Wiley and Fran Osborn.

Their daughter, Susie Baskin, and son-in-law, Steve Baskin, saw how the floodwaters devastated Kerrville when visiting family weeks after the storms hit.

Piermont read to the congregation a letter Susie wrote about visiting Steve's Aunt Kathy Ragsdale at Camp Stewart.

The site where Steve spent his childhood days was hit particularly hard. Over the Fourth of July weekend, the Hill Country region experienced flash flooding for miles along the Guadalupe River, where officials report that at least 120 people died.

Among them was Jane Ragsdale, Steve's cousin and the camp director at Heart O' the Hills.

Susie shared that Ragsdale died in her home on the camp property.

"Her camp was in between sessions, so there were no campers or counselors on property, a blessing, as there surely would have been more lives lost," she wrote.

Susie explained Texas is in mourning as residents navigate the aftermath of a flooding disaster of a magnitude no one expected. But they have shared their appreciation for communities, like Longboat, that have stepped up to help.

"People from all over the country are helping the flood victims in Kerr County," Susie wrote.

Attendees at the lunch, which was free but gathered thousands of dollars in donations from diners, said they found meaning in giving back to another community navigating a crisis. Residents said it was especially heartening to now reach a point of being able to support others after neighboring communities stepped up to help them recover from last year's hurricanes.

Wiley and Fran, who couldn't attend in person but helped coordinate the fundraiser, thanked Longboaters for their support.

While they were impressed by the church's fundraising efforts, Wiley said they equally appreciated the show of community support.

"It's just terrific," he said. "We always keep in mind that our objective isn't just about money. It's about giving people a chance to participate in healing, and to enjoy a nice meal together."

Texas-inspired dishes were on the menu, including pulled pork, fried chicken, beef chili, cornbread and miniature pecan pies, along with other fixings.

Chef Fred Lugano said he appreciated being able to contribute his cooking skills for the event.

"We all had our hearts broken when we saw those little girls in the flood," he said. "Our church is all about fellowship, and when we realized we had congregants personally involved, we wanted to help."

Those interested in donating directly to the relief fund can find more information at CommunityFoundation.net.