The ONE Foundation Reflects on Lee County Tornado Relief

While the long-awaited spring weather is certainly a cause for celebration, it’s difficult to forget the slew of tornadoes that ripped through Lee County, Alabama on March 3, 2019 killing at least 23 people and destroying many homes and buildings in its path. The worst storm, an “EF-4” tornado, was almost a mile wide bringing 170 mph winds. Its devastating path stretched about 24 miles and left extensive property damage in its wake. While much progress has been made as we near the two-month mark, relief efforts are ongoing.

The ONE Foundation sprang into action following the Lee County storms to support individuals and families left without shelter and supplies, coordinating fundraising events and activities with ONE CLUB Gulf Shores. Our founder and ONE CLUB’s owner Dan Palmier personally donated $4.50 for every dollar contributed to relief efforts during the resort’s restaurant and music venue, 45’s, Mardi Gras festivities. We were thrilled with the generous spending of our patrons and decided to extend the donation program through mid-March to further support those impacted. On March 22, 2019 we proudly donated a total $20K to Church of the Highlands, a highly respected Alabama-based church community organization with 22 campuses throughout the state. Our contribution will help fund the rebuilding of homes for multiple Lee County Church members.

As part of The ONE Foundation’s mission, we want to give back to those in Lee County who need help rebuilding not only their homes but their lives. To accomplish this, we teamed up with InterVol to extend our support for Church of the Highland’s disaster relief efforts.

InterVol, a Rochester, New York-based not-for-profit, is a longtime charitable partner of The ONE Foundation. The organization recovers and distributes unused medical supplies and equipment to underserved communities around the world.

Church of the Highlands’ Auburn campus (a few hours North of Gulf Shores) serves as a distribution point for relief supplies provided by InterVol’s frequent partner Samaritan’s Purse, an international disaster relief foundation. InterVol has worked with Samaritan’s Purse in the past on disaster-aid initiatives in Houston and New Orleans. This was a great opportunity for The ONE Foundation and InterVol to partner and get much-needed supplies to Lee County.

“This is the first time InterVol has shipped directly to Samaritan’s Purse. It is because of The ONE Foundation that InterVol is able to respond immediately during events like this,” said Nicole Jones, Executive Director at InterVol. “If it weren’t for the team’s incredible year-round support, InterVol would not have the means to be as aggressive as we are to shipping following a response.”

It’s truly an honor to work with team InterVol for this important initiative, assisting with tornado relief in Lee County by collaborating with Church of the Highlands and Samaritan’s Purse. Our year-round partnership helps communities like Lee County recover when disasters strike. We are proud to celebrate InterVol in its 30th year, improving lives all over the globe by shipping necessities to communities in need.

Next up on InterVol’s calendar for charitable initiatives are as follows:

• 5th Annual InterVol Invitational on Friday, June 7 at the Ravenwood Golf Club in Victor, NY
• Off the Vine, a gala celebrating 30 years of InterVol’s service to those in need on Friday, September 13 at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery
• InterVol has 50 bibs in the Marine Corps Marathon, giving the opportunity for any runner to stride with the Marines as part of Team InterVol. Over the last two years, The ONE Foundation has donated $175,000 toward Team InterVol, supporting more than 80 runners

“The ONE Foundation is an incredible partner, as we share the same goals – to enhance the lives of children and families by connecting them with life-saving medical supplies and improving global healthcare,” continued Jones. “Doing good is what we do.”

We look forward to the next 30 years of charitable work with InterVol and expanding our support for local organizations as they continue helping Lee County residents and Alabamans across the state.

If you are interested in helping Lee County’s residents, you can donate directly to Church of the Highlands by clicking here or calling 205-980-5577. And check out InterVol’s website for more information on the organization and its current initiatives.