123 Texas A&M Students Clear 23 Miles After Flood

When disaster struck Kerr County last July 4th, 123 college students chose to spend their summer cutting through debris instead of relaxing at home.

The Texas A&M Bonfire Crew learned about the devastating flood that hit the Central Texas community and decided to act. Within hours of hearing about the disaster, 123 of the 150-member crew committed to traveling to Kerrville to volunteer.

Mark Crews, a faith-based speaker from Boerne, helped coordinate the effort by reaching out to Aggie Moms statewide. The response stunned everyone involved.

A 1999 Texas A&M football player sent the first $5,000 donation in memory of the 12 students who died in the tragic 1999 bonfire collapse. By noon the next day, Aggie Moms had raised an additional $18,000 for lodging, food, and equipment.

"We may have to build a smaller bonfire, but we're going to Kerrville," one crew member said before leaving College Station.

The students partnered with the Cajun Navy in Center Point and cleared 23 miles of Guadalupe riverfront. They worked with 15 chainsaws, three licensed arborists, five emergency medical technicians, and four certified search dogs over 10 days.

A Cajun Navy leader told Crews they were the hardest-working group of people he had ever been around. Each evening, the students sent lists of needed supplies, and Crews or the Aggie Moms would drive them from San Antonio to Harper.

The Salvation Army KROC Center provided daily showers after long days on the riverbanks. When the crew ate dinner one evening at Billy Gene's Restaurant, they spotted salvaged cypress logs across the river.

The Ripple Effect

With permission from the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, the students took one log back to College Station. At the annual bonfire last fall, they placed it in the stack with a green ribbon and sign honoring the lives lost in the Kerr County flood.

The gesture connected two tragedies and created something beautiful. The students who built a memorial each year now had a deeper understanding of loss and recovery.

"We're not just building a bonfire stack, we're building leaders," said Ethan Scherff, one of the Bonfire Crew leaders. "We are building structure and when disaster strikes, we are building hope."

The City of College Station honored the crew when they returned home, but the real reward came from knowing they made a difference when their neighbors needed them most.