Harris County Administrative Assistant Ruth Cortez, left, speaks to TDCAA Executive Director Robert Kepple and Harris County DA Kim Ogg after receiving a $1,000 check to assist her with her Harvey-damaged home. (Photo credit: Harris County DA’s Office)
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Texas District & County Attorneys Foundation created a relief fund and asked people to donate to help their struggling peers. As a result, this week the foundation gifted $1,000 per person to 40 prosecutors, investigators, and administrative staff in eight South Texas counties.
“We know this is not a king’s ransom to anyone, but it is love from prosecutors around the country,” Robert Kepple, executive director of the TDCAA, said in a news release.
The foundation is the Texas District & County Attorneys Association’s fundraising 501(c)(3). The individuals who received the funds had to apply and meet certain requirements, including having an uninsured or unreimbursed loss of $5,000 or more as a direct result of Harvey. The recipients are from Harris, Aransas, Victoria, Orange, Jefferson, Montgomery, Refugio, and Fort Bend counties.
Recipients from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office were given their checks during a Tuesday luncheon, according to an office news release.
Ruth Cortez, an administrative assistant, who saw her roof cave in during Harvey, was among those to receive a check.
“This is a blessing,” Cortez recalled saying when she was first told she would receive the assistance. “You have me in tears right now.”