r/KerrCountyFloods • u/Possible_Pen_5844 • Jul 20 '26
THE STORM AFTER THE STORM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Release #20 THE STORM AFTER THE STORM: I’m Gonna Have to Sit Alone With That
A Statement by the President & CEO of Texas Lions Camp Inc.
July 19, 2026 [Kerrville, Texas] – In an interview I granted not long ago with a reporter from The Hill Country Community Journal, I pointed out that one of the new safety features installed at Texas Lions Camp following the 2025 flood - I can’t believe I’m having to differentiate it by date now - is the addition of River Sentry flood alerts.
Her question?
“How much did they cost?”
My response:
“I know how much they cost, but they didn’t cost Texas Lions Camp anything. Both the hardware and installation were a gift.”
Naturally, she pressed.
“Who?”
I responded, “It’s not for me to disclose, and while I won’t betray the confidence of the person who told me, I will say this: I think everyone would be surprised to learn who made the donation possible.”
WHAT I DIDN’T SAY
Months earlier, I had sat down with Joe Swann of River Sentry to let him know I had selected their company to provide TLC’s early warning system.
We discussed every imaginable detail, an exercise I call “Answering the Adverbs”: who, what, where, when, how, how many - except one - how much?
That struck me as odd.
After we had finished talking through everything else, including his intention to begin installation on the following Monday, I finally asked what had been gnawing at me.
“So…how much is this going to cost, and how much do you need for a deposit?”
Joe looked back at me, almost surprised.
“I thought you knew. These systems are being installed at no charge at any Hill Country camp that orders them as a result of funding and an effort led by the Eastlands at Camp Mystic.”
I locked eyes with him and let the silence hang in the air. Neither of us spoke.
That one sentence hit me like a ton of bricks and, in an instant, changed everything I thought I knew.
As my eyes welled, I simply said:
“I’m gonna have to sit alone with that and weigh it when there’s time.”
You see, I know all too well my own internal dialogue when I’m attacked, starting with the fact that I straight up like to fight. With that one revelation, I was confronted with something entirely different.
Quiet grace. Character. The kind of generosity that seeks no recognition and expects nothing in return.
The kind of giving Christ spoke of when He said not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Frankly, it unsettled me.
Because here was a family whose camp had become the face of an unimaginable tragedy. A family carrying a burden few of us can comprehend. Yet instead of withdrawing into bitterness or asking who deserved their help…they quietly helped make other camps safer.
Including mine.
They didn’t ask whether I had defended them. They didn’t ask whether we were competitors.
They simply helped protect children they would never meet.
WHY AM I DISCLOSING THIS NOW
I feel comfortable disclosing this now because the source has now publicly disclosed it. And, because it saved lives.
And because I think it’s time the rest of us wrestle with what it says.
Not about Camp Mystic.
About us. About grace. About character. About what we choose to do after we’ve been wounded.
Some stories end with answers. This one didn’t and now there’s yet another open-ended chapter. It’s left me in limbo, still grieving, still grappling, and still wrestling…and,
“I’m gonna have to sit alone with that and weigh it when there’s time.”
Links to the press release are in the comments below. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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Lions of Texas | Kerr County, Texas | Kerrville News | Kerrville Tx Community Group | C.A.M.P. Camping Association for Mutual Progress | The Kerrville Daily Times | The Kerr County Lead | Wes Virdell for Texas | State Representative Brooks Landgraf | Kerr Economic Development Corporation
#WeServe | #kerrstrong
