WoodmenLife Bands Together to Help During Texas Flooding

When Community Outreach Advisor Vanessa Dean first heard of the devastation caused by flooding across central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend, she was ready to take action.

And so was WoodmenLife.

Hitting the Ground Running

Since early July, WoodmenLife has been raising funds, volunteering time, and planning future assistance to help those affected by the floods in areas such as Kerrville, Hunt, Comfort, and Sisterdale, TX.

Dean said she first reached out to Texas West Regional Director Trae Gonzalez. By that Saturday, President & CEO Denise M. McCauley was reaching out to the team.

“I was really impressed to see the President & CEO of our organization making a call on a Saturday night saying, ‘Let us know how we can support you,’” Dean said.

A Team Effort

By Monday morning, Dean and several volunteers, including WoodmenLife members and Sales associates, were driving down the flooded, one-lane road in Kerr County to help.

Volunteers partnered with a family to begin the clean-up process, which consisted of removing insulation, leveling foundation, and tearing down walls.

“It was intense work,” Dean said.

Providing ‘a Little Bit of Joy’

Working at WoodmenLife for only a year and a half, Dean said she was so grateful to see the support from the organization pouring in “almost immediately” for the flood victims.

So far, WoodmenLife has raised nearly $150,000. Of that, $40,000 went to the Hill Country Foundation, which supports the city of Kerrville and surrounding areas. Another $10,000 was spent filling an emergency response trailer with necessities and distributing those items to those in need.

Dean said plans are also underway for WoodmenLife to help build a new playground in the town of Hunt, complete with a swing set, rubber mulch, canopy, and 20-foot-tall flagpole.

“All of that is in motion, and we’re getting approval from the county — we’re calling it WoodmenLife Park,” Dean said. “These kids lost their neighbors. To be able to bring back just a little bit of joy that has been washed away is just wonderful.”

Looking Forward

With the cleanup stage nearly complete, Dean said the real challenge begins: rebuilding.

WoodmenLife has already established a culture of coming together for its communities, so Dean is confident the organization will continue making a difference in central Texas going forward.

“We’re probably a year away from this community being even close to functional,” she said. “We want to create regular volunteer days with community members, Sales Representatives, and local chapters. It’s just who WoodmenLife is.”

Dean said she’s felt emotional seeing all the work being done so far by WoodmenLife amid this tragedy.

“The culture that has been built within WoodmenLife is unlike anything I’ve seen before,” she said. “It really felt in line with our values of supporting the community and our country. We were going to do something, with nothing in return. This was truly just people willing to get dirty and help.”

Natural Disaster Extra

Woodmen Life members who experience a natural disaster can apply for up to $1,000¹ of financial assistance to help get them back home. Visit WoodmenLife.org/Natural-Disaster to learn more.

Written by: Cheyenne Alexis, Communications Strategist

1. WoodmenLife Extras are available to members. An individual becomes a member by joining our shared commitment to family, community and country, and by purchasing a WoodmenLife product. These extras are not contractual, are subject to change and have specific eligibility requirements, such as length of membership, number of qualifying members in the household and/or qualifying event.

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