In a brief ceremony at Barnabas Connection last week, Cookie Hagemeier, the Acting President of the Wimberley Intercommunity Network, presented checks to two local nonprofit relief organizations following the dissolution of WIN. With the remaining funds in their coffers, they elected to pass the torch to My Neighbor’s Keeper and the Barnabas Connection.
WIN was formed following a flood on Cypress Creek in 1997 that killed two and affected 40 households.
“That event took place prior to the incorporation of Wimberley,” wrote Hagemeier in a recent history of the organization. “. . . so there was no established city government and no centralized leadership for the village. It took place before the establishment of a Wimberley radio station, so there was no central means of communication. . . even the internet and cell phones were not widely used as they are today.”
While the immediate needs of the affected were met by first responders, Hagemeier asked Rev. Carol Clark, the then pastor of the Presbyterian Church what would happen next for those people who had lost property, vehicles and households. Clark and Hagemeier contacted the Red Cross who instructed them to pull together a group representing Wimberley churches and service organizations, the Hays County commissioner, EMS and others.
“Within 3 days there were 25 community people gathered in the Presbyterian Church to learn how to create a committee to address the long-term effects of disasters and the people they affect,” she continued. “The group that was formed was called Wimberley Intercommunity Network, which was later known by its acronym, WIN.”
Later that year, WIN became a 501c3 non-profit and in 1998, a second flood on Dry Cypress Creek occurred and WIN was able to provide help with longer term unmet needs of the victims.
“Following the Blanco River Memorial Weekend flood and the Halloween flood on Cypress Creek in 2015, additional nonprofits were formed. One of those was the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team, or the BR3T, a non-profit organization that facilitated long term recovery for victims of the Memorial Day Weekend, All Saints and other disasters in Blanco, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Hays County.
“We are honored to present checks from WIN to Kate Sowell, Executive Director of Barnabas Connection, and Madonna Kimball of My Neighbor’s Keeper, each in the amount of $1,800.07,” said Hagemeier during the presentation. “It seems that the needs WIN addressed in the past are being ably met by other organizations, so it is time to dissolve WIN and share the proceeds.”
