Former presidents join fundraising effort for Harvey aid
All the living former U.S. presidents are joining in an online campaign to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and the floods it caused along the Texas coast.
Called the One America Appeal, the campaign follows in the footsteps of a series of successful disaster relief efforts undertaken on behalf of the victims of the tsunami in southeast Asia, the earthquake in Haiti, and hurricanes Katrina and Ike.
Those efforts involved Bill Clinton and both George W. and George H.W. Bush. The new campaign, which is solely an online appeal, also includes Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
A public service announcement concerning the appeal aired in the second quarter of Thursday’s opening NFL game between New England and Kansas City.
“The former presidents were inspired to come together to lend their support to the people and communities affected and to the first responders, organizations, volunteers, and neighbors who have been providing assistance to victims of Hurricane Harvey,” the fundraising campaign said in a press statement. “Harvey has already displaced more than 1 million people and caused an estimated $180 billion in damages over its 300-mile path of destruction.”
The idea for the joint appeal arose from discussions between George H.W. Bush and his son, both of whom live in Texas, but was immediately embraced by Clinton, Carter and Obama, said Jim McGrath, spokesman for the elder Bush.
“All five living presidents have come together, and they have done so because of what was taking place during and after Harvey,” McGrath said. “With the unprecedented intensity of the storm, the heroic response of the first responders and volunteers, and all the people from all over rallying to help them, it was not a hard sell.”
Funds to stay in Texas
Unlike the previous post-disaster efforts of Clinton and the Bushes, the One America Appeal campaign will not establish any organization as such.
Whatever money it raises will be forwarded to the two general funds already created, the Houston Harvey Relief Fund and the Rebuild Texas Fund.
Donors will be able to contribute through the website www.oneamericaappeal.org. Those preferring to write checks will be able to do so through the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, which will oversee all the donations and keep them in a special account.
Although the former presidents will not make personal appearances for the appeal, they will work hard to get the word out, McGrath said.
“The presidents and their staffs will definitely be promoting this through their social media channels,” he added.
All donations will remain in Texas. However, McGrath said if Hurricane Irma should cause severe damage in Florida, the expresidents might consider expanding the recipients.
The joint appeal uses a model that found success after other disasters. Then-President Obama was quick to turn to Clinton and George W. Bush after Haiti was rocked by an earthquake in 2010.
“At this moment, we’re moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in our history — to save lives and to deliver relief that averts an even larger catastrophe,” Obama said at the time, adding that the presence of Bush and Clinton “will ensure that this is matched by a historic effort that extends beyond our government, because America has no greater resource than the strength and the compassion of the American people.”
‘Rallied to the flag’
The most successful of the earlier campaigns was for those affected by the tsunami which hit multiple nations on Dec. 26, 2004. Clinton and George H.W. Bush raised about $1 billion and in the process developed a personal friendship.
The two reprised a fundraising appeal after Hurricane Katrina swamped New Orleans in 2005, ultimately raising about $130 million. The Haitian appeal raised about $54.5 million by the time the fund was shut down two years later.
A final disaster assistance effort was mounted by Clinton and George H.W. Bush in the wake of Hurricane Ike. It was called the Bush/Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund and specifically targeted projects of long-term need.
“This is just something the former presidents have started doing,” McGrath said. “They all rallied to the flag when we said how about doing this for the people hurt by Harvey.”
The White House was informed of the appeal, McGrath said, but only the men who preceded President Donald Trump are pitching it.
“This is just something the former presidents have started doing. “They all rallied to the flag when we said how about doing this for the people hurt by Harvey.”
Jim McGrath, spokesman for George H.W. Bush