18 tornadoes ripped through the Granbury / Cleburne area south of Fort Worth on Wednesday, May 15th causing major damage and destruction. This tornado strike is the deadliest to hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 50 years, destroying more than 100 homes and injuring dozens of citizens. Several people lost their lives in this tragic disaster, and the community is struggling to rebuild amidst a terrible scene of twisted metal, shattered trees, and broken memories.
Despite the devastation, the monetary scale of the damage was not enough to trigger federal help for this community, as estimates reportedly did not reach the 'need' threshold of $34 million in damage, unlike the tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma one week later. The path of the tornadoes in Granbury and Cleburne tore through the most populated areas there, and though the communities are smaller in number than Moore, OK, meaning that the overall damage toll is not as costly, the destruction to the homes that were hit is every bit as bad. Hundreds of families are homeless and need our help!
We at Etsy Fort Worth are heartbroken for our neighbors in need and have been wracking our brains trying to think of a way that our little team can do something to help. Every year Etsy.com sponsors a worldwide craft party, and local Etsy chapters like ours participate in their own way, sharing the fun with their respective communities. Each year there is a different theme, and this year's Etsy Craft Party theme just happens to be "Crafting for the Community".
In the truest spirit of Crafting for the Community, we will be creating origami paper cranes in return for
monetary donations for the victims of the Hood County tornadoes. In ancient Japanese tradition, each crane represents one wish, and we need your help in creating those wishes for our families and neighbors to the south.
Our goal is 1,000 paper cranes, 1,000 wishes, and $1,000. We will be passing along the donations to the United Way of Hood County* and send along the wishes and hope to the citizens affected by this tragedy. We'll supply refreshments and some pretty paper and teach you how to fold these stoic origami birds if you'll join us. The paper cranes are yours to keep safe until the wishes come true!
If we can get 1,000 people to donate just $1 each, we will be able to reach our goal and help rebuild a community!
On June 20th, you and your families can
join us in person at our annual Etsy Craft Party at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Or you can
make a donation online now, using a credit card through the PayPal interface (or your PayPal account, of course). You do NOT need a PayPal account to be able to use your credit card with PayPal. Click the "Donate Now" button below to donate to the cause.
Donations in ANY amount are welcome. Every dollar counts and your generosity is appreciated!
*100% of your donations will be passed directly to the United Way of Hood County, who will distribute the funds to areas most in need of assistance.
%20if%20you%20can!%20Our%20goal%20is%20%241%2C000%20to%20help%20Granbury%20and%20Cleburne%20rebuild%20their%20homes%20after%20the%20devastating%20tornadoes%20that%20ripped%20their%20lives%20apart.%20Hundreds%20of%20families%20are%20homeless%20and%20have%20no%20federal%20funds%20to%20help%20them%20pick%20up%20the%20pieces.)
