Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster relief organization, announced today a “Two-Million Dollar Challenge” for its Hurricane Laura relief effort. The challenge was issued by PXG founder and CEO Bob Parsons, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War Veteran. Through PXG, a company dedicated to developing high-performance golf equipment and apparel, and in conjunction with The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, Parsons has committed to matching donations dollar-for-dollar, up to $2 million to support this effort.
Within hours of Hurricane Laura making landfall, Team Rubicon had volunteers, also known as Greyshirts, on the ground working to clear roadways to help first responders. In the hours and days following, Team Rubicon deployed 72 more Greyshirts to Louisiana and Texas, with additional volunteers planning to arrive in waves of 100 each week. The volunteers are coordinating with local and state emergency response officials to assist Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish, LA, as well as Orange County, TX, in recovering from the storm with the potential to push out to other affected areas in Louisiana. All efforts are being conducted within the parameters of COVID-19 protocols established months ago in anticipation of responding to a hurricane in a pandemic environment.
Proceeds from the “Two-Million Dollar Challenge” will allow Team Rubicon to continue serving the hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents who are still without water, power, or access to their homes, which is likely to last up to five more weeks. While the media has mostly left, Team Rubicon is just getting started and will continue to support those impacted for weeks and months to come. Soon, hundreds of Team Rubicon Greyshirts will be clearing out flooded homes, tarping roofs, and boarding up windows to prevent further damage.
“We’ve been fortunate to have the support of Bob and Renee Parsons for many years. To work alongside a duo who understands the importance of providing hope during the most critical of times is as much of a natural fit for Team Rubicon as it is an honor,” said Jake Wood, CEO, and Co-Founder of Team Rubicon. “Through this partnership with PXG, our goal is to bring awareness to a community in need, while inspiring donors across the country to do what they can to help the people of Louisiana and Texas. Our hope is to raise additional funds, so we can continue our response efforts to restore the community as quickly and as safely as possible.”
This isn’t the first time that PXG has supported Team Rubicon. Following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, PXG’s commitment of one million dollars helped fuel Team Rubicon’s immediate response. The donation also helped kick-off a pilot “Rebuild” program committed to rebuilding 100 homes in the Houston area. To date, the program has welcomed 104 families back into their homes and continues with three homes currently in progress. Similarly, PXG’s million-dollar donation for Hurricane Irma relief funded a majority of the response. It enabled Team Rubicon to rebuild 40 homes in Florida that were damaged or destroyed by the storm.
A committed partner, PXG also supported Hurricane Florence relief efforts and, through an innovative “Essential Face Mask” campaign led by President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel Renee Parsons, helped raise awareness of Team Rubicon’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors COVID-19 initiative.
Much like Hurricane Irma, at $50 billion, making it the fifth costliest hurricane to hit the U.S., this month’s Hurricane Laura has received little media attention and national support, which is why PXG, with support from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, is again stepping up.
“It is our mission to step-in when no one else will. To provide hope on the darkest of days and help ensure that the most vulnerable are not forgotten in the wake of a disaster,” Bob Parsons shared. “PXG is proud to support Team Rubicon and the many veterans who make up its ranks as they fall in to resurrect communities devastated by disasters and humanitarian crisis.”
Team Rubicon is powered by a 130,000-strong, highly-skilled veteran-led volunteer force that rapidly mobilizes to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. By focusing on underserved or economically challenged communities, Team Rubicon seeks to make the largest impact by providing emergency relief free of charge.
Quick to leverage the match to help make a meaningful difference, Mercury One made the first significant contribution to kick off the challenge. Target quickly followed suit with an additional commitment.
Anyone looking to double the impact of their support can visit http://teamrubiconusa.org/pxgmillion to donate. For more information or to make a gift to Team Rubicon, please contact Nicole Capossela, Chief Development Officer, at development@teamrubiconusa.org.
To volunteer with Team Rubicon, please visit http://teamrubiconusa.org/volunteer.
ABOUT TEAM RUBICON
Team Rubicon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service by leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Team Rubicon has developed extensive protocols that allow its volunteers, also known as Greyshirts, to swiftly and safely continue to deliver on its core mission of disaster response. Team Rubicon has also adapted its capabilities to respond to the pandemic by providing assistance such as food delivery to at-risk populations, coordination and logistics support for those in temporary quarantine, and opportunities for volunteers to help their neighbors through individual acts of service. Additionally, Team Rubicon has helped local, state, and federal partners with direct medical response including running mobile testing sites, decompressing hospitals, and providing on-site medical assistance. Visit www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information.
