As millions of Texans rely on their resilience and resourcefulness to recover from the devastating effects of Winter Storm Uri, the Siebert Williams Shank Foundation (SWS Foundation) is donating $100,000 to the relief effort to help those impacted by the once-in-a-generation arctic blast.
The storm caused widespread power outages; days without heat; difficulty accessing food, water, and fuel; and damaged or destroyed homes. More than 8 million Texans were under a boil-water advisory, and more than 100,000 went for days with no water at all.
Keith Richard, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Texas Region for Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC (SWS), is a native Texan and recalls devastating storms such as Hurricane Alecia (1983), Tropical Storm Alison (2001), Hurricane Ike (2008), and Tropical Storm Harvey (2017).
“These storms greatly impacted the Houston area, where I am from, however the impact of the recent winter storm was felt statewide,” said Richard. “I am proud to be part of a firm that not only provides investment banking services to municipalities across the state but is also able to provide critical assistance to the residents of Texas in a time of need,” he added.
*The SWS Foundation is contributing $25,000 directly to the Let’s Help SA Emergency Fund which will use the donation to help in the effort to bring the lives of the most vulnerable – seniors, families and persons of color – in San Antonio back to normal. The funds will go toward immediate needs such as food, water, heating costs and lost wages.
Siebert Williams Shank CEO and co-founder Suzanne Shank says the firm feels a responsibility to provide support for those in need in the communities it serves so this was a natural call to action.
“When I saw the suffering caused by the storm, I thought of my many friends in Texas and the millions of others who were facing life-threatening conditions,” she said.
The Foundation is contributing $25,000 each to the Dallas Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is sponsored by the Dallas Foundation; the Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund, which is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Houston; the Let’s Help SA emergency fund, spearheaded by the Morgan’s Wonderland Inclusion Foundation; and the Austin Community Foundation.