Burnet football fans can help flood-devastated Sonora community before the big game
A resident takes images of flooding following a Sept. 21 storm in Sonora. To help relief efforts for the Sonora community, the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District is collecting monetary donations, which will be presented in a check to Sonora school district officials at the Burnet-Sonora football game Friday, Sept. 28. Photo by Kimberley Meyer, The Devil’s River News
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
BURNET — Before Burnet school district Superintendent Keith McBurnett had a chance to organize a fundraiser for the Sonora Independent School District, he learned a couple of his coaches had already taken the lead.
Those coaches sent word that the Sonora community, which had near-double-digit rainfall Sept. 21, was in need of cleaning supplies and toiletries following devastating flooding.
McBurnett, who saw the images of what the city is experiencing and addressing in the aftermath, called Ross Aschenbeck, his counterpart in Sonora to ask what else they could do.
That conversation convinced McBurnett that another way people can help is by making monetary donations. Simply make the check out to Burnet CISD with a notation that it should go to “Sonora Relief.”
People also can donate online at burnetcisd.net. Click on “Sonora Flood Relief Donations” in the middle of the home page.
Donations will not be accepted after 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, which is the day that Burnet and Sonora face off in a varsity football game at Bulldog Field, 1400 Bulldog Stadium Drive.
The plan is to present a check to Sonora officials at the game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
“He was on his way to get on a tractor to move debris,” McBurnett said of Aschenbeck when the two superintendents spoke. “They don’t know what they’ll need right at this moment. We want to pitch in and help out.”
Money offers the most flexibility for getting tools and other necessities, according to a letter McBurnett sent to the community.
Still, if people want to donate cleaning supplies, toiletries, or blankets, they can drop those off at any Burnet Consolidated Independent School District campus.
It’s a big week for the Bulldogs. Sonora is their homecoming opponent, and Burnet returns for only its second home game of the season.
And yet, McBurnett knows Burnet fans will look past the competition on the field as it helps another community in need.
“It never ceases to amaze me how this community gives back to others,” he said. “It puts in perspective how blessed we are. Who knows how many of their coaches and players are impacted. Their basic needs aren’t being met. We want to pitch in and help out.”