By making a contribution to Hays County CERT, you are helping us to help our local first responders. You're also making it possible to continue educating the public about emergency preparedness. We are creating a more resilient community. And that helps all of us!
Hays County CERT operates on a modest budget from Hays County. Other than our Program Director and Financial Admin, all CERT members - more than 400 of them - are volunteers. These are the dedicated men and women you see out in your community and all around the county at training sessions, local events and on scene during emergencies*, such as accidents and wildfires, and natural or man-made disasters including severe weather-related events.
Hays County CERT was on-scene following the 2015 flood in Wimberley, the 2021 snowmagedden, and numerous wildfires. They also assisted at locations around the county during the COVID pandemic.
*When we help at incidents of this nature, it's always at the request of first responder agencies.
You will need to have the Venmo app in order to pay. Search for @HaysCountyFireChiefs
Hays County CERT is also an integral part of the annual Hays County Emergency Preparedness Fair, held the second Saturday in September. And throughout the year, our volunteers work tirelessly to help our Hays County residents be prepared for emergencies.
Our members receive not only the basic G-317 training, but they also receive training in Stop the Bleed, CRASE, Traffic Control, Sheltering and more. Many of our members earned the qualifications needed to become instructors. Several teach portions of our G-317 classes and host a variety of other training sessions.
During extended emergencies and times of disaster, the Hays County community is always quick to step up and offer assistance. We often hear from members of the public and businesses owners who want to support our mission with a monetary donation. We welcome this kind of support from our community! Donations allow us to help our local first responders as well as continue to educate our residents about emergency preparedness.
As we are part of a government agency, monetary donations cannot be tax deductible. Through a strong partnership with the Hays County Fire Chiefs Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, CERT can now receive donations that may be tax deductible**. By donating to the chiefs' organization through its Venmo*** account (see image below), you can allocate funding to Hays County CERT. When you enter the donation amount, please specify that the funds should go to CERT. Easy peasy!
**Please check with your tax expert.
*** You will need the Venmo app.
We also are the grateful recipients of a variety of non-monetary donations, such as food items and supplies to keep operations going. Those donations can be overwhelming and often are not able to be used or sometimes discarded due to excess and expiration dates. Providing a way for citizens to donate throughout the year allows CERT to purchase the appropriate supplies in the quantity needed at the time it’s needed.
Want to donate a gift card to help us purchase food and supplies used on callouts to help first responders? You can purchase gift cards from H-E-B, Lowe's and other retailers that allow us to buy the snacks, water and electrolytes and other supplies we use at first responder incidents where our volunteers are providing rehab.
Please note, in-kind donations are also welcomed and encouraged!
See our Community Partners page where we recognize those businesses and individuals who donate to us and support us in various ways.
Coming soon: We are building an Amazon Wishlist so you can purchase items, and they will be sent to our office!
