Al Roker brings $540,600 to island charity

GALVESTON — Erin Toberman wiped tears from her eyes as she watched volunteers unload home appliances, plumbing fixtures, paint and air-conditioning units from a bright yellow Penske moving truck.

She shook her head in amazement as Al Roker, weatherman for NBC’s “Today” show, put his arm around her shoulders.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, he kept telling her, a big smile spreading across his face.

Roker and the “Today” crew stopped in Galveston on Wednesday as part of the show’s Lend a Hand series, an annual, weeklong showcase of charities that normally operate out of the spotlight.

NBC producers chose Help4Galveston, the nonprofit formed by Toberman after Hurricane Ike struck in September, to receive the $540,600 in supplies donated for Galveston.

It was the biggest single-day donation in the eight years Roker has anchored the Lend a Hand series.

“This is everything we need to help our community rebuild,” Toberman said as she watched Lowe’s employees unload wheelbarrows, shovels, drills and saws off another truck backed up to the makeshift set in the 4100 block of Avenue M.

110,000 Hours

Toberman, a Tiki Island resident who also operates a child-care locater service, started Help4Galveston as a way to help established service agencies get back on their feet after Ike.

The storm displaced island charities as well as the families they were trying to serve.

Once the groups had set up temporary offices at Holy Rosary Church, Toberman began coordinating the teams of volunteers who converged on Galveston County to help rebuild.

During the last nine months, teams working through Help4Galveston have logged 110,000 volunteer hours gutting, cleaning, painting and repairing homes devastated by Ike’s storm surge.

Marie Carmen sat in a wooden chair on her front porch and watched the television crew take over the street in front of her home.

Ike filled the house with almost a foot water when it came ashore Sept. 13.

Despite the damage, Carmen refused to leave the home her father built in 1943.

“Where am I going to go?” she asked. “I was born on the island and I’m going to die on the island.”

For the next four months, Carmen lived in the house without electricity, until crews organized by Help4Galveston installed new wiring and started making repairs.

‘God At Work’

On Wednesday morning, employees from furniture manufacturer Ethan Allen unloaded a set of white, wicker patio furniture and carried it up the steps to Carmen’s newly repaired front porch.

Carmen would get as much furniture as she would accept, Toberman said.

But persuading the feisty 75-year-old to take anything has been difficult.

“I’m not materialistic,” she said. “I always say ‘Let go and let God.’ But these volunteers are God at work.”

Although Lend a Hand’s on-air emphasis is on the corporate donations it distributes, the show’s long-term benefit to the charities it highlights is the increase in local giving and volunteering, Roker said.

“At the end of the day, you can have all the donations in the world but if there are no volunteers, it’s hard to get things done,” he said.

Roker said he leaned the importance of volunteering from his parents and from the Jesuit high school he attended.

Figuring out where to volunteer is part of finding out what you’re passionate about, Roker said.

Shot In The Arm

Roker and the “Today” team last visited Galveston six weeks after Ike came ashore.

Although he was in town for less than 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday, Roker said he clearly could see progress.

The city definitely is making improvements, but many residents throughout the county still need help repairing their homes, Toberman said.

All of the donations unloaded Wednesday morning will be put to good use by the thousands of volunteers headed to the area this summer, she said.

“This is so humbling,” she said. “It’s unbelievable for our community. This is the shot in the arm we need.”

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Details

To volunteer for or request assistance from Help4Galveston, call 888-425-5439 or visit www.help4galveston.org