On Sunday, July 27, George Strait and his Vaqueros del Mar partner Tom Cusick hosted “Strait To The Heart,” an intimate benefit dinner and concert at Estancia at Thunder Valley in Boerne, Texas, raising $6.25 million and counting for those affected by the catastrophic flooding across Texas’ Hill Country.
As a sold-out crowd of 1,200 guests gathered for a night of music and giving, Texas Jamm Band, featuring members of Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band, kicked off the evening, followed by performances from Kyle Park, William Beckmann, Hudson Westbrook and Ray Benson.
Strait and Cusick took the stage to welcome attendees followed by a prayer and remarks from Pastor Max Lucado.
“I have a bookmark that a friend gave me that’s embroidered,” Pastor Lucado shared. “On one side, it’s nothing but irregular threads. Different lengths, different colors, a lot of knots. But if you flip it over, the message embroidered says ‘God is love.’ Facing a tragedy is learning to face it from the right side. One side is irregular – it’s just knots, it doesn’t make sense. And during a time of tragedy, it’s essential that we do our very best, as difficult as it may be, to see everything from God’s perspective.”
Cusick then introduced a special guest, Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“There’s a saying that we’ve all repeated many times: pray as though everything is going to be taken care of by God, but act as though everything is up to you,” Governor Abbott remarked. “While we have prayed endlessly, I want you to know that we have acted endlessly also. Texas first responders have rescued or evacuated more than 1,000 people. Lives were saved because of those first responders. Give it up for our fearless first responders.”
To raise additional funds to support the victims of the Hill Country flood, a live auction was held ahead of performances from Wade Bowen, Randy Houser, Dean Dillon, Riley Green and Jamey Johnson.
Strait then began his set with “The Weight of the Badge,” and was then joined by surprise musical guest Garth Brooks for “The Fireman,” honoring first responders. Johnson collaborated on “Give It Away,” and later, Strait enlisted longtime friend and co-writer Dillon and his son Bubba Strait for “Here For A Good Time.”
The evening served as both a heartfelt tribute to the resilient spirit of the region and a critical fundraiser to provide immediate relief to impacted families. Additional contributions can be made at: https://donate.stripe.com/3cI14maf08Pf0vc7AV5Vu00.
Proceeds from the event and contributions made online will be donated to the 501(c)(3) Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund and distributed directly to affected families and established Hill Country recovery efforts.
Event hosts and organizers, from left to right, Silvia and Tom Cusick, George and Norma Strait, Ace in the Hole Band’s John Michael Whitby and his wife Kacey Whitby present a check in the amount of $6.25 million to the Vaqueros del Mar Flood Relief Fund from Sunday’s benefit in Boerne, Texas. | Photo Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Strait To The Heart
