Disaster Recovery Grants Project
A Program of The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy
Final Report, September 2009
PROGRAM SUMMARY
An initiative of the Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy and managed by the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning, the Disaster Recovery Grants were one-time awards to help deserving programs impacted by a series of extraordinary natural disasters that affected Texas in 2008. The grants covered specific, identified costs related to or caused by the disasters. These costs included replacement of lost furnishings; equipment or instructional materials not covered by insurance; out-of-pocket expenses to repair buildings; rental of temporary classroom space; outreach and recruitment expenditures to rebuild program enrollment; and temporary additional personnel costs. Nine programs were funded through a competitive application process.
Programs affected by Hurricane Ike in September 2008:
- Brazosport College, Freeport, Texas
- Clear Creek Independent School District, League City, Texas
- College of the Mainland, Texas City, Texas – Serving Galveston County
- Literacy Advance of Houston, Houston, Texas
- Lone Star College – North Harris, Houston, Texas
- Pregnancy and Parenting Support Center, Texas City, Texas – Serving Galveston County
- Region V Educational Service Center, Jasper, Texas
Program affected by flooding along the Rio Grande Valley in September 2008:
- Presidio Independent School District, Presidio, Texas
Program affected by Hurricane Dolly in June 2008:
- Lyford Consolidated Independent School District, Lyford, Texas
Each of the programs received between $8,300 and $20,000 according to their specific budget requests. All programs were successful in accomplishing their objectives and the impact of the Barbara Bush Disaster Recovery Initiative has been positive everywhere. The funds helped these programs to get back to regular operations, but they also helped citizens of Texas to get back on their feet.
Under the generosity of this grant award, families in Texas were afforded the opportunity to attend classes while rebuilding their homes; they received gas card assistance to be able to attend classes; some were given grants to pay for their General Educational Development (GED) testing fees; nearly 150 mothers learned about the benefits of reading to their newborn babies and toddlers and received reading packages that contained baby essentials and age-appropriate reading materials. With funds under this program, one school district was able to replace a lost playground and equipment in the only certified day care center in the area, allowing teen parents the opportunity to continue their education while their children were appropriately cared for. As soon as a Houston area program reopened its doors after the storm, a student claimed she was happy to have a place where she could feel safe even though her home was devastated.
