J.J. Watt is known for his terrifying hits on Sundays; however, for families in Houston, J.J. Watt is a life-saver and not a football star. Watt is a modern day superhero to many families by raising a grand total of $35,882,489 for Hurricane Harvey victims.
All of that money went directly to those families impacted by Hurricane Harvey, as Watt reiterated multiple times in a video log he kept on Twitter. Watt has created a foundation in his name and through that foundation, he created the fundraiser for the victims.
Watt decided to start the fund after him and his teammates were stranded in Dallas, Texas.
Watt kept a video log to keep everyone informed on the fundraising. The original goal of Watt’s relief was $200,000, but that goal was quickly met in less than two hours. Watt told CNN, “Every little thing helps. Just because the storm is receding doesn’t mean we can stop raising money.”
Every time the next goal was met, Watt would post a short video on Twitter to update everyone. Hurricane Harvey was a category four hurricane that struck Texas. Damages to houses, cars and roads can all be replaced.
Lives lost due to Hurricane Harvey, which has reached 70, are irreplaceable. Watt knows what kind of damage Hurricane Harvey has done to families all across Texas.
Hurricane Harvey has affected roughly 13 million people throughout Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.
“The number of families without a home, food or even clean water is astonishing,” Abbigail Redstreake, a Sterling High School graduate, said.
Social justice is a huge factor in the world, especially with all the division and differences going one. This time around it was all about people helping people, no matter what.
What J.J. Watt has done for Houston was truly taking a stand and a leap of faith on people to raise money. This is a place where he calls home and many others do as well, so for Watt to set a goal and surpass it represents hope and the belief that everything is gonna be alright.
Watt inspired other athletes to raise money. JJ Watt’s passion and drive to help out Houston made an impact on his teammates and players from other teams. Many other teams donated a million— if not millions— of dollars. Watt was not the only one doing some donating.
As reported by the NFL, “The Texans have donated $1 million and the Titans gave $1 million to Watt’s drive. The New England Patriots and New York Jets and the Johnson family also are donating $1 million each to relief efforts.” Others include Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, the Green Bay Packers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions.
Tim Duncan, future Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champion, wrote an article called “Don’t forget about the islands,” where he urged citizens, in addition to helping Texas and Florida, to also think of U.S. Virgin Islands.
Duncan donated $250,000 immediately and then matched donations up to $1 million. The U.S Virgin Islands was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma and that is where Duncan was raised.
Hurricane Irma affected Florida and many families have lost everything they own.
Dr. Francis Klose, assistant professor of religious studies at Cabrini University, has a house in Clearwater, Fla. Klose is not aware of the damages to his house, as of now, but he has plans to fly down soon. He was taken aback by how reluctant people were to evacuate and leave the path of a hurricane he described as “striking.”
Klose said, “I’m surprised people did not want to evacuate. [I’d] rather see people get out and be safe.”
In addition to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Hurricane Jose and Hurricane Maria also have brought about immense damage. Many are attributing the amount of hurricanes in such quick succession to climate change.
“Climate change is a big issue that people are not taking seriously in today’s society,” Nicholas Louis, a sophomore studying exercise science, said.
Louis believes people need to start being educated on the effects of climate change.
Climate change could be a factor to these natural disasters.
Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have caused professional sporting events to be moved for the safety of players and spectators. Chris Paul, all-star point guard for the Houston Rockets, took time out of his day on multiple occasions to hand out fresh water to people that are in desperate need of it.
John Malone, a sophomore studying exercise science, saw what J.J. Watt and other athletes did. While the aftermath of the hurricanes was devastating, he admires how people have come together to respond.
“It’s really amazing that such a terrible thing could bring out the amazing in our country,” Malone said.
