Texans Fit

"I just want to reach out to say "thank you" for today. I don't know that you had a lot of people come in to take advantage of the generous shower offer, but I did. It had been 7 days since I lost power and water, been alone the whole time and the news that I could go somewhere to renew myself, made more difference than you might think.

I came in today, and left in tears because I had not been clean in 7 days nor had I been around other people in as long. That shower was probably the brightest spot I had had in some time. You might remember me as the lady who left in gratitude today behind my tears . I drove 25 miles (50 round trip) to get to you today but it made the difference in what had seemed like a hopeless situation for me. Still awaiting a plumber but at least I can feel good for a few days.

Thank you for being there for someone like me who had nowhere else to turn. Your facility was clean and refreshing and I felt at home for the 45 minutes I enjoyed it today. Thank you for opening your doors. You just never know who might be out there in need."

Nominator: Sioux E.

Bill W.

"Many neighbors and Church members were dealing with broken pipes and issues at home. Bill braved the weather to get to their homes to help them. He didn't want to charge them anything as he believes in doing kind things for others. One of our own family members cannot get plumber out until March 23rd, we called Bill and he going there Tuesday to help them. Only reason he is not going Monday is because he is having a root canal done!! He is a real compassionate person who cares for others deeply and always willing to help!"

Nominator: Gerri R.

Gabriel R.

"This week was not a great time to be a first-time home owner and home repair novice. While without power and bundled up in a 50 degree house, we discovered water flooding out of our kitchen light fixture and cabinets. We knew we had a problem and had no idea what to do. By the next day, a complete stranger had offered to climb in our attic to clamp the three cracks in our pipe and used his equipment to remove the inch of water in our kitchen and laundry room. We've never felt more helpless in our lives and had no idea the kindness of a neighbor could turn our outlook around so quickly. Words cannot express how thankful we are for Gabriel! He is our hero!"

Nominator: John D.

Bill M.

"On Tuesday, Feb 26, the storm had started in College Station. Bill knocked on our door at 8AM and asked if there was anything he could do to help us prepare. I am 78 with one kidney and my wife is 77, recovering from breast cancer. Bill came back 3 hours later with enough wood that he chopped to get us through the worst of the storm. Our transformer went out and this may have saved our lives, but Bill did not stop there. He hooked up a generator and our other neighbor Jeff Kurtz and his son Kyle got gas and kept it going through the 6 degree night."

Nominator: Don M.

Tosha the Plumber

"After draining the pipes in my parents 115 year old home in Morgan's Point, TX, it came time to turn the water to the house back on. However, when I did there was no pressure from the city. Before leaving to tend to my own home, I cut back the flow rate to less than one quarter. The next morning I was awakened by a caregiver asking if I knew there was water gushing underneath their house? Uuuughh!
Almost to their home, I was forced to take a detour to avoid an icy bridge in La Porte, and as pulled up to the first stop light, lo and behold there was a Heaton Plumbing Company truck. I tapped my horn and got their attention. Desperate, I asked Tosha, the plumber who was driving if she would possibly interested in a side job. She asked me to pull over to talk. She immediately informed me that she thought she could get to the house in a few hours after her next job, but it would have to be run through the company. Of course I agreed, and frankly marveled at the integrity shown. I also thanked God for allowing our paths to fortuitously cross!
Within a few hours, Tosha and her assistant arrived, and within an hour she had replaced what might have been an original section of pipe and a value charging the fair book price for the job. It was the best $400 I have ever spent, and Heaton Plumbing now has another customer for life! Thanks, Tosha and Heaton Plumbing!"

Nominator: Boyd B.

Jeff K.

"I am 78 and have one kidney. My wife is 77 and is recovering from breast cancer. On the morning of the storm. A neighbor, Bill Mather, showed up on our doorstep at 8 AM and asked if there was anything he could do to keep us safe. Our transformer was out . Bill brought firewood and hooked up a generator. Jeff Kurtz and his son Kyle, next door neighbors filled generator every two hours and kept it going until BTU repaired Transformer at midnight. These people may have saved our lives. We are very grateful to them."

Nominator: Don M.

Jared C.

"Our family was fortunate enough to have only lost power for 36 hours, but were able to stay warm. We had many friends that had numerous busted pipes and much damage to their home. As you're aware many stores were out of the necessary items used for repairs; however Jared had the needed items at our house. He spent many hours assisting friends and neighbors by fixing busted pipes, removing sheet rock, drying up water and best off all getting the water back on. Since the pipes had busted, they had no water for many days. We were very blessed in our situation and were happy to assist where needed. #TexasStrong"

Nominator: Keyla C.

Gregory P.

"This remarkable neighbor wrapped all of our outdoor pipes, sprinkler system and mosquito system. He opened the cabinet doors, let the faucets drip and continually made sure that everything was ok. He saw water at midnight coming from the other neighbor's busted sprinklers. As it gushed and spewed, he held an umbrella over the deluge to enable himself to cutoff the source. He did the same for the other neighbor. We would all be in huge dire straits would it not be for GREGORY P. Our hero indeed.

Nominator: Carol S.

Craig H. and Michael M.

"Craig and Michael "Sharky" wanted to do something for the people of Galveston. Friday, Feb 19, they decided they wanted to prepare meals to give to those in need and those affected by the winter storm. Sharky immediately started a GoFundMe account which raised almost $3,000 in just a few short hours. With posts about the event on Facebook, word of mouth, and a few phone calls, many people and businesses jumped in to help with donations of money, equipment, and man power to help make this happen. Here are the heroes: Craig and Sharky for organizing the entire event. Without them, this would've never happened!
Academy Sports + Outdoors was more than generous as they supplied equipment, Also a special thank you to the management and staff of the Academy on the Galveston Seawall for going above and beyond for making sure we had what we needed, man power, and the use of their parking lot to use to cook and serve the meals. They were all amazing!!
Bay Ltd for a big donation that fed well over 100 people alone. On top of the donation, employees of Bay volunteered to help.
Members of the Valiant Church along with Monsta Apparel Company for volunteers.
The Galveston Police Department for having 3 police officers there all day to make sure everything ran smoothly and to keep order with the massive line of cars that literally stretched for miles.
There were several hundred private donors and over 30 volunteers from all over the southeast Houston area and Galveston that showed up to help cook and serve.
The original goal was to feed 300 people, With the amount of donations and help, the goal was raised to 600. By the time we ran out of food, we served an estimated 1,000 meals of chicken, pulled pork, sausage, beans, tortillas, chips, and a drink. After running out of food and the serving of meals ceased, there were 20-25 cases of water left and several cases of Powerade drinks which we elected to donated to the Shriner's Hospital for Children. From the time of the original idea to the start of cooking was around 18 hours. Simply amazing!!"

Nominator: Ryan P.

Frank R.

"As we prepared for this storm we were not prepared for THIS storm. We had food, water, filled tubs with water for flushing and filled empty soda bottles with water for cooking, drinking, and later for boiling. We woke up Monday to find out my parents who are in their 80's lost power late Sunday and suffered through the freezing night!
My husband of 32 yrs. was sitting quietly mapping out a safe way, in the snow, to get to the Rushwood neighborhood off Veterans Memorial from our home off 290 and Barker Cypress. He was not going to let my parents stay another night alone without power. Turns out their area was without power for 4 days and a pipe in my mom's restroom had burst, flooding their home.
On Friday, he took my dad to assess the damage. With a wet vacuum he removed 100 gallons of water from their home and on Saturday he cleaned the collapsed ceiling and fiberglass in the restroom. With the threat of COVID still very much a concern for the family, he didn't want to risk involving anyone else. Frank is my hero, yesterday, today and tomorrow!"

Nominator: Deborah R.

Paul G.

"I live in the High Meadow Ranch subdivision of Magnolia. I had 3 pipes burst during the storm. I had water spraying in the attic, water coming through my kitchen ceiling, and water coming through a garage wall; each on a different day as pipes thawed.
I posted on our neighborhood Facebook page looking for parts. A neighbor, Paul Gonzalez, whom I've never met, messaged me back saying he had some parts and would bring them over. Turns out he's a plumber and general contractor. Over the course of 3 days (finding a new leak each day) Paul came to my house and capped off my leaks so I could restore water. He didn't charge me anything and wouldn't accept any payment. Over the course of those 3 days and the 3 days after, Paul and his son worked long days visiting all our neighbors with burst pipes and no water. By my estimate he helped over 30 neighbors cap pipes and get their water back on. I suspect the number is much higher. To my knowledge he didn't charge anyone and supplied the necessary plumbing supplies for free. I know he also fixed leaks for other homeowners outside our neighborhood.
I rarely have a story like this to share but this guy deserves some recognition for what he's done in a time of true crisis. Based on my conversations with Paul he did all this while having no hot water of his own to shower for a period of several days."

Nominator: Travis R.