It seemed our whole world was turned upside down just a few months ago when hurricanes were slamming the Gulf region, from Florida and the Caribbean to Houston.
While most of us not in harm’s way sat and stared in a state of relative disbelief as the sets of disasters rolled in across our TV screens, Kathy Casper, vice president of marketing at West Palm Beach, Fla.’s PGA National Resort & Spa, knew she had to take action.
“After watching the devastating and sad coverage of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, I put in a call to Lauree Simmons, founder of a charity organization, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, that hosts many fundraising events at PGA National Resort & Spa and around the country,” Casper remembered. “I said, ‘Lauree, I want to go to Texas and help,’ and she immediately responded, ‘Our first van is on its way, let’s mobilize the second wave.’ And that we did.”
Casper said after a few days of planning, which included interviewing volunteer drivers, assembling a small crew and packing the vehicles to the brim, the caravan embarked on the 1,300-mile journey to the Houston Fairgrounds, where the city set up a shelter for animals and more than 35 large dogs were waiting in crates for transport to Big Dog’s rescue shelter in Loxahatchee, Fla.
But before the rescue crew lit out on the highway they got a call from a firehouse in Kountze, Texas, where many homes were destroyed in the flood and a temporary shelter had been set up that included homeless dogs and puppies. Casper put a call out to employees of PGA National and mothers group Miami Beach Moms, who organized a large bus and an SUV stuffed with water, clothing, children’s toys, diapers, dog food and other supplies.
After an overnight in Daphne, Ala., the first stop was the Kountze firehouse, where the firefighters and National Guard members off-loaded the supplies to swamp boats that set out to aid those in need.
“Here, we picked up two moms with puppies, and the most amazing dogs from a Lumberton [Texas] shelter that needed to be cleared to take in new dogs with no homes,” Casper said. “Texas Strong. I have to say the people of Texas help each other. I must say, one fireman even offered to come to Florida if we needed help with the recovery. Thank you, Texas!”
The next day the group arrived at the Houston Fairgrounds, where they worked side by side with the City, Big Dog and Best Friends of Utah to process and load 35-plus dogs into a van. A minor drama unfolded when the group was pulled over by a local sheriff due to access being cut off because of flooding, but the officer actually offered them shelter at the local police station!
Deciding instead to move on, the rescue caravan stopped in Slidell, La., where volunteers from Best Friends Animal Society fed and walked the dogs in a Winn-Dixie parking lot.
Next stop: Big Dog Ranch Rescue. But as they drove through the night, Hurricane Irma was drawing a bead on South Florida and the lines at gas stations were long—if they had gas at all. After finally arriving at Big Dog in Loxahatchee, the group was met by Simmons, a team of vets and volunteers who cared for the dogs and placed them in spacious, hurricane-proof shelters as Irma approached.
Casper’s job was not done, however, as she made a beeline to PGA National to begin Hurricane Operations. As one of the largest dog-friendly resorts in the area, the staff prepared for a full house of human guests and more than 125 of their furry friends. The guests and their companions weathered the storm along with the staff at PGA National, which survived relatively unscathed and in fact didn’t even lose power.
“My message to fellow hospitality colleagues,” Casper said, “is that there are so many ways to give back, step outside the comfort zone and so much good can happen.”
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