Michael and Susan Dell, courtesy photo.
“We must rebuild the Texas communities devastated by Hurricane Harvey together,” Dell wrote.
On Friday, Michael and Susan Dell launched the Rebuild Texas Fund with Gov. Greg Abbott and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. He has pledged to match $1 for every $2 in donations until midnight on Sept. 4th.
“We are in it for the long-haul: our goal is to raise over $100 million for the recovery and rebuilding of our communities in the years to come,” Dell wrote. “Please join us by donating at www.rebuildtx.org or by texting “RebuildTX” to 91999. And please spread the word – every dollar matters!”
Dell grew up on Grape Street in the Meyerland neighborhood in Houston, which suffered extensive damage from more than 50 inches of rain hitting the city during Hurricane Harvey. On Facebook, Dell posted a picture of the flood waters that have submerged houses in his old neighborhood.
In addition to the Facebook post, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Michael and Susan Dell announced the RebuildTX fund on Good Morning America on Friday.
“This is our home. And we know that it will take all of us working together, over the long term, to rebuild our Texas communities,” Dell said in a statement. “The Rebuild Texas Fund will be a partnership among rally companies, community leaders and individuals to work alongside state and federal officials to provide an additional source of funding and ideas for recovery and rebuilding.”
The New York Times in an article reports the Dell Foundation donation is the largest single donation to the recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is working with the OneStar Foundation, was created to support the State of Texas by strengthening the nonprofit sector, on the Rebuild Texas Fund.
Since its founding in 1999, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has committed more than $1.32 billion to global children’s issues and community initiatives to date. The Dell family also donated $50 million to the University of Texas at Austin to create the Dell Medical School. (Read more about the Foundation and its work in this story from Silicon Hills News from the 2014 Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network conference in Austin.)
