The Texans' thoughts are with those Houston-area residents recovering from the effects of Hurricane Ike.
The Texans announced Sunday that they hope to raise $2 million for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts to assist victims of Hurricane Ike through their "Texans Helping Texans" campaign.
Hurricane Ike, which made landfall Saturday, Sept. 13, in Galveston as a severe Category 2 storm, caused extensive damage throughout the nation's fourth-largest city, including damage to the retractable roof at Reliant Stadium.
"We'll be working with United Way and the mayor's Hurricane Ike fund," Texans owner Bob McNair said Sunday. "We're trying to raise $2 million; we're at $1,250,000 at this point. We are engaged in the community. We've been at the P.O.D. centers distributing items. We'll be at the Food Bank (Tuesday, Sept. 23) distributing food there. We just have a lot of empathy for all the fans that have suffered. I'm without power still, so I understand. I do have a roof over my head, and some people don't so we feel very fortunate."
McNair has donated $500,000 to the campaign; the National Football League and the NFL Players Association contributed $500,000 through the league's disaster relief fund; and Chevron Corporation contributed $250,000 for a total of $1,250,000. Fans, corporate sponsors and business partners are asked to provide the remaining balance in order to reach the goal. The funds will be divided among two relief funds: the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund, which was established by Houston Mayor Bill White for short-term relief such as food, water and medicine for victims, and the United Way Hurricane Recovery Fund for long-term goals.
"At a time like this, it is more important than ever for us to come together as Texans to support our fellow Texans," McNair said. "We are very thankful for our community leaders, the first responders and the volunteers that have showed such strength and courage in our community's time of need. They have dealt decisively with the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike,and we now come together as Texans to meet the challenge of the recovery process."
Created in 2001 to assist organizations directly and indirectly affected by the events of Sept. 11, the NFL Disaster Relief Fund is a collaborative endeavor of the National Football League and the NFL Players Association. Its goal is to improve the quality of life and help rebuild communities affected by large-scale tragedies. Since its inception, the NFL Disaster Relief Fund has provided aid to those affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the San Diego wildfires last year.
The NFL's newest franchise has a history of providing aid to its community. The team donated money to provide relief after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and the 2004 tsunami. More than $2 million was donated to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
