EXTREME” FUNDRAISING

Gerald Anderson, Betty “the General” Schleder, Rick Hall, Josh Schroeder, Andy Webb, Ann Marie Kennon, Wayne Cavalier

O N AU G U S T 2, S E V E N W I L L I A M S O N CO U N T Y L E A D E R S L E F T T H E I R CO M F O R T ZO N E S TO H E L P C H I L D R E N W H O D O N’ T H AV E O N E. “ W I N G S F O R A D V O C AC Y ” WA S A N I N AU G U R A L S KYD I V I N G FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER.

I T A L L S T A R T E D WITH A WORLD RECORD

On July 2, Georgetown resident Al Blaschke achieved a four-year goal, and personal dream, to skydive with his grandsons to celebrate their college graduation. Everyone landed safely and congratulated Al, who frequently tells inquisitive reporters, “I will not jump to jump; I want to jump to celebrate something!”

Incidentally, at 103 years, 174 days, he also officially broke the record as the world’s oldest tandem skydiver. Guinness receives about 1,000 applications every week and it takes time to certify witness accounts and details for each new attempt, but with Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody as an official witness, and 85 guests with cameras, Al’s entry is a sure thing.

One of the guests at the historic jump was Susan Snelson, an 85-year-old Sun City resident who decided she was ready to check skydiving off her bucket list. Like Al, Susan wanted her jump to have a purpose for others as well, so she decided to make her event a fundraiser for COVID support.

She asked her friend Betty, 76, who jumped with Al, to jump with her, and also for ideas about organizations in need due to pandemic losses. After talking to some friends, Betty suggested donating the proceeds to the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center (WCCAC).

The planes at Skydive Spaceland can accommodate seven tandem pairs, and photographers, so Betty and her team recruited community leaders, from Liberty Hill to Taylor, to raise funds and awareness for this great need.

Ms. Snelson postponed her jump due to COVID concerns, but the fundraiser moved onward with Mayor Rick Hall, Georgetown ISD Trustee Andy Webb, Taylor City Councilman Gerald Anderson, former Jarrell Mayor Wayne Cavalier, Esq., and Georgetown attorney Josh Schroeder. The seventh jumper was not able to make it but this magazine writer is also on the WCCAC Board and they talked me into taking her place before I could talk myself out of it. (Anything for the kids!)

Skydive Spaceland provided a food truck for guests and donated a free tandem jump, which Betty auctioned off for additional funds raised.

Jumpers may choose to have their skydive on digital film and video. Photographers jump simultaneously and bite down on a shutter release cable to take pictures, so they can use their arms to maintain stability in flight.

You can help any time and donate at www.WilcoCAC.org and help restore children to their comfort zone.

WINGS FOR ADVOCACY

THE JUMP!

Liberty Hill Mayor Rick Hall was second out the door (photo below) and said, “Raising money for the WCCAC was as exciting as jumping from the plane.”

GISD Board Trustee Andy Webb, in addition to conquering some anxiety about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, had a few profound thoughts on the day as well. “I have been thinking a lot about our schools. While we are trying to figure out how to safely reopen, one of the things that hurts me most is those children who need to be in school. School is where they get so much of their structure, love, support, and emotional and physical nourishment. Since we can’t be back on campus, this means an increased workload for the amazing folks at the Advocacy Center. It is an honor to be able to help them working together with good friends.”

Josh Schroeder, who is also a Georgetown Mayoral candidate, said, “One of my favorite things about this community and Williamson County in general, is how people have adapted and found new ways to thrive, even during this current difficult period. Our nonprofit community has been especially hard hit, but they aren’t giving up the fight. If we can’t have our normal fundraisers, we’ll find another way to fund our mission.

“Honestly, I’m surprised ‘throwing politicians out of a plane’ wasn’t thought of earlier.”

At press time, Wings for Advocacy has raised just over $10,000, and some have already asked if they can jump in the “2nd Annual...” Thanks to the courage of the jumpers and generosity of our entire county community—pandemic or not—it may become an annual thing after all. HELPING THE WCCAC

The WCCAC is a non-profit, collective organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of child abuse. It is a welcoming, child-friendly, and safe place for victims and their families. Victims receive medical treatment and counseling, work with law enforcement, and reduce emotional trauma for children and non-offending family members.

CEO Kerrie Stannell was delighted to have the unique, and rather spontaneous support from all over the county. When cities and counties shut down earlier this year, the Center was obliged to cancel public awareness events during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. They also had to cancel one, and modify another fundraiser plan in compliance with rules prohibiting large gatherings. These are just a few of the events the center depends on to fund programs and provide services to families throughout the year.

THE NEED

This year, due to changes put upon communities and homes by the COVID pandemic, research reveals child abuse cases are likely to increase dramatically. Sadly, when schools are closed, many children have no safe place to be away from their abusers, or to even reach out to trusted adults when the need arises.

During a shutdown, children may be at home with a physically or sexually abusive parent or caregiver; they may be left alone with someone a loving parent believes to be a safe, trusted adult, but is not. As well, children who are being abused, and are not in school, will not have a safe, trusted adult to disclose their abuse to.

While the jump was a success, the need goes on and WCCAC is accepting donations on their website; WilcoCAC.org. With the first day of school just weeks away, and no certainty as to what the nature of our school year might be, help for children is more important than ever.

Donations are accepted at WilcoCAC.org or made payable and mailed to WCCAC, 1811 Inner Loop, George

town, TX 78626.

What’s Running Up Your Bill?

We all want to find ways to reduce our power bill when it’s warm in Texas—which is ... always, right? Not only is it important for our household budget, it’s also reasonable to reduce the demand on the power grid where we can.

Pedernales Electric Cooperative shared some great information and suggests, if we do nothing else, we should focus on these items for maximum impact.

Test your HVAC unit (55% of your monthly cost) with a digital thermometer, and schedule a tune-up if needed.

Check your HVAC air filters monthly, and replace them when needed. Clogged filters force the system to work harder to move air.

Bump the thermostat 3-5° closer to the outdoor temperature when you leave the home for long periods.

Install a timer on your water heater (20% of your monthly cost) that shuts off the unit during times you don’t need hot water.

Install a timer on pool pumps so they run the minimum amount of time needed to maintain water quality. Also set them to run in early morning or overnight; shut off from 4pm-6pm.

ALERTS & BROWNOUTS

Alerts are voluntary requests by the power company to conserve energy. Brown-outs are intentional or consequential drops in voltage in an electrical power supply system; intentional brownouts provide load reduction in an emergency. Both usually occur happen in the late afternoon when temperatures are the hottest.

Now that we’ve covered some of the obvious tips, there are plenty of opportunities to slow down those spinning wheels on your meter; every little bit helps.

For central air, leave interior doors open to help the HVAC balance the temperature throughout the home. For a window or portable unit, keep the door of the room it’s in closed.

Use box and ceiling fans to feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler, BUT, turn them off when leaving the room; fans cool people, not spaces.  Run your dishwasher and washing machine at the same time; eliminating the need for your water heater to heat up twice.

 Avoid using large appliances such as ovens and washing machines during peak usage hours; 3-7pm. Many dishwashers have a time-delay setting.  Run your dryers at night for off-peak rates, or do back-to-back loads to take advantage of residual heat. Wash clothes in cold water. Use hot water only when necessary, try to wash only full loads, and always use a cold-water rinse. Unplug “vampire” devices; e.g., laptops, TVs, coffee makers, and toasters drain energy even when Off. Keep lamps and other hot items; TVs, computers, and irons away from the thermostat. Localized heat will make the AC think the room is warmer than it is.

DIY AIR CONDITIONER

If you have that one room that just never cools down, or you want to experiment to see how low you can get your power bill, get yourself a bucket! Start with a five-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid. Cut holes around the top 1/3; you can fix PVC pipes to the holes, or cover holes on the inside with an absorbent material.

Cut a hole in the lid, just large enough to fit a small fan.

Fill the bucket with ice blocks and water, and turn the fan on HIGH to push the cold air through the holes or pipes. (If you’re not the DIY type, you can buy the bucket above from OffGridLiving for $120.)

Just enough *cool* for your personal space, doesn’t block a window, and uses a lot less electricity.