Heroes vs. Harvey
Two GoFundMe Heroes from opposite ends of the country unite to help the people and animals affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey dumped 19 trillion gallons of water on southeast Texas—flooding entire towns, displacing over 30,000 people, and endangering countless animals and pets. When Jason Parker and Bobby White saw the damage, they knew they could be of service. So from Osseo, Wisconsin, and Gainesville, Florida, respectively, they hit the road for Texas.
Six months ago, Jason and Bobby had never heard of each other. That all changed when Jason was named a GoFundMe Hero in April.
After Jason’s own beloved dog, Gunnar, was hit by a truck and became paraplegic, his friends helped him purchase a cart for Gunnar to give him freedom and mobility. Inspired by the kindness of his friends, Jason decided to pay it forward and started his nonprofit Gunnar’s Wheels to provide free loaner carts to paralyzed animals across the country.
Jason has lived in a small Wisconsin town most of his life, so when GoFundMe approached him to hear his story, he was honored—but a little nervous. He wanted to talk to someone who’d understand his unique situation. That’s when he reached out to March’s GoFundMe Hero, Bobby.
Bobby—better known as “Basketball Cop” to his online audience—became Internet-famous two years ago when he responded to a noise complaint about kids playing basketball in the street and decided to join in the game instead of punishing them for having fun.
Bobby decided to use his newfound platform to start the Basketball Cop Foundation, a nonprofit that builds positive, long-lasting relationships between police and youth in their communities. Bobby is used to being asked for advice, so when Jason rang him up, he was happy to help.
Fast forward five months to Hurricane Harvey: Jason’s animal rescue friends asked if he could bring supplies and help them save some of the thousands of animals affected by the massive flooding. He hopped on a plane to Dallas and made the slow, treacherous trip by car down to the flooded Houston area.
Meanwhile, Bobby had already planned to go to Houston to speak at an event for youth. And when the hurricane struck, he wasn’t about to cancel on those kids, several of whom had lost their homes in the flooding. Bobby also knew that his fellow police officers and first responders would need his help. Without hesitation, he hit the road for Texas.
Jason and Bobby announced their plans on their respective social media pages, and they stumbled upon each other’s posts. They realized that for the first time, they’d have the chance not just to meet in person, but also to join forces to help others.
After a week of volunteering in separate parts of the Houston area, Jason and Bobby finally had the chance to meet in person and swap stories. They took this picture to share with their supporters, to say thank you for empowering them to be able to help in times like these.
A couple days later, Jason shared this note with us about what this whole experience has meant to him:
“Bobby and I were able to meet up last night. I was rescuing animals from the hurricane and he is helping with flood damaged police officers homes. It was an honor to meet him, and nice to trade ideas, stories, but most of all, let the people and animals of Texas know that two regular guys that you guys named ‘hero’ lived up to our end of the bargain.
Talk soon, Gunnar and Jason”
GoFundMe thanks Jason & Bobby for being heroes to us and so many others before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey.
Click below to learn more about the fundraisers that made Jason and Bobby GoFundMe Heroes, and see how you can help.
