Woman uses social oman us
s cial media to raise $ 15,000 for flood relief or flo relie
Boerne local Erin Crawford never expected that a simple request for donations on her personal Instagram to help flood victims would lead to $15,000 – but it did, and she’s making sure it’s being put to good use.
Crawford, a mother of two who is originally from California and moved to Boerne four years ago, got the idea of requesting donations when an influx of messages from her California friends came through, to check to see if she had been affected by the floods.
Erin Crawford, left, and Melissa LeBlanc climb atop a pile of debris along the Guadalupe River during recent search efforts.
Courtesy photo
A truck is loaded with goods Crawford was able to purchase with the more than $15,000 her social media appeal produced.
Courtesy photo Although Crawford came through the floods without any damage, she knew plenty of people who did not, and wanted to do her part.
“I just made a post on my Instagram and said that if people wanted to Venmo me, I was going to do some runs to the store,” Crawford said. “I had seen some supplies of things that were needed. I thought, no big deal. A couple of hours later, I saw a bunch of messages from Venmo. When I checked the account, there was $695 in there.”
Crawford immediately took a screenshot of the donations and posted thanks to everyone’s contribution. She ran to Walmart and made sure to document everything she purchased to ensure transparency.
“Some people are hesitant to donate to big charities because they don’t know where their money goes,” Crawford said. “I wanted them to know exactly where their money was going.”
Crawford continued to make posts on Instagram, tagging each person who contributed.
“That’s when it started getting spread around like crazy,” Crawford said. “I would tag my friends, and they would repost my posts on going to the stores.”
In less than a week, the donations reached the $15,000 mark.
“We followed the needs, to make sure the money went where it was needed most,” she said. “Needs change over time, so we would look at the lists (different) organizations would post and use that as our shopping list.”
The trips to the stores garnered goods of all sorts: chainsaws, chain lube, first aid supplies, dining tables, paper towels, sanitary pads, water and food. Crawford dropped off donations where they were needed — namely at Black Rifle Coffee, Kerrville Pets Alive, and at The Children’s Bereavement of South Texas in Uvalde.
But Erin didn’t stop there. She also worked two breakfast services at Sisterdale Volunteer Fire Department with fellow volunteer Danielle Scott of the Rise Property Group.
Scott was thankful to have found Crawford, giving her a list of high-ticket items that were hard to come by.
“My husband and I drove around and got them these $300 industrial fans that they needed,” Crawford said.
Crawford’s close friend Melissa LeBlanc sang her praises for the work that she has done and continues to do.
“She’s a mom of two who hits the gym every morning like clockwork,” LeBlanc said. “I’m just so proud of her. She has inspired me to give back more.”
The inspiration spread to others, who saw Crawford making the purchases at the stores and asked what she was buying them for.
“When we told them it was for the flood victims and responders, people just started opening their wallets,” LeBlanc said. “One man gave us everything he had in his wallet.”
Both women were touched by the generosity of others, both locally and from far away.
“Most of my donations came from my friends and coworkers in California,” Crawford said. “But we had people here that contributed, too.” Crawford is continuing her work visiting stores and dropping off donations, remaining thankful she was given the opportunity to give back so much.
“I want to make sure I continue to give back in meaningful ways,” Crawford said. “I’m also thankful that I was able to give closure to my donors.”
Comment
Comments