More than 70 nonprofits, seven days: Lead Live’s Nonprofit Week opens Friday with its biggest lineup ever

The numbers alone tell part of the story: more than 70 organizations, seven broadcast days, and more than 60 hours of live programming beginning Friday morning at Pint & Plow Brewing Co. and running through Monday, Aug. 24.

But the fuller story of Lead Live’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Week is the one that emerges from the organizations themselves — who they serve, what they’ve endured, and what they’re asking the Kerrville community to know about them as they take their 20 minutes on air.

This year’s event, the largest in the broadcast’s five-year history, runs Aug. 14-24 on The Kerr County Lead’s Facebook and YouTube pages. It opens Friday at 8 a.m. and runs through the final segment at 12:40 p.m. on Aug. 24. The main week, Aug. 17-21, airs from 8 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. each day. All segments will be archived at kerrcountylead.com/forging-connections-nonprofit-week-on-the-lead-live/.

A community still recovering

If there is a single thread running through this year’s Nonprofit Week, it is flood recovery — from the July 4, 2025, disaster that killed 28 people at Camp Mystic and reshaped the county’s sense of vulnerability, and from the July 16, 2026, flood that struck just over a year later.

The Riverside Nature Center, which will appear Tuesday, Aug. 18, has lived both. Executive Director Becky Etzler said the center suffered significant damage to its physical structures and educational materials in the 2025 flood, managed to reopen within eight weeks, and then watched much of that recovery work get undone by the 2026 flood.

“Most of the renovations made this past year will need to be redone,” Etzler wrote in the organization’s intake form. “Our current need is donations.”

The Dietert Center’s story runs in a different direction. The senior services organization — on air Thursday, Aug. 20 — sustained 20,000 square feet of flood damage after the 2025 disaster but never stopped delivering Meals on Wheels, missing only a single day due to road conditions. It served more than 71,000 meals last year, up from 69,000 the year before, even as staff worked out of temporary spaces and managed ongoing repairs.

“Despite the flood recovery, we actually increased the number of Meals on Wheels served,” Executive Director Brenda Thompson wrote. “300 volunteers gave over 34,000 hours last year. That keeps us going strong.”

Habitat for Humanity Kerr County, appearing Friday, Aug. 21, helped 30 flood-impacted families return home through critical repairs and rebuilds in the year following the 2025 disaster — while simultaneously launching construction on Mariposa, a new 44-home affordable housing community in Kerrville, with 11 homes completed and two more underway.

Annie’s Helping Hands, appearing Tuesday, Aug. 18, has been operating a disaster recovery center in Center Point, completing elevation certificates for residents and managing critical casework for flood survivors. The DRC closes Aug. 20.

Kerr Together — the long-term flood recovery coordinating body formed after the 2025 disaster — will appear Friday, Aug. 21. Program Manager Kelly Hagemeier said the organization has been helping coordinate partners for the 2026 flood response while also working with UGRA and Kerr County to get a flood warning system installed. Community members needing assistance can register at the organization’s office at 98 Coronado Drive.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, opening the Aug. 14 broadcast, has a disaster benefits team working out of the Doyle Community Center providing free legal services to flood survivors navigating FEMA cases and other recovery issues.

Veterans, health, and human services

Veterans Assistance Dogs of Texas, appearing Thursday, Aug. 20, has placed 15 service dogs with disabled veterans in Kerr County alone — all rescue dogs, trained and provided at no cost. Chairman Jerry Ashby said the organization needs younger members, as some of its current leadership is in their 70s and 80s.

Gunny’s Warriors, appearing Wednesday, Aug. 19, provides education and awareness around blast traumatic brain injury and hosts the Kerrville Flags of Honor. Founders Mike and Jan Pieraccini said the organization provided immediate flood relief to veteran families in July 2025, in addition to ongoing assistance with rent, utilities, food, clothing, auto repairs, and funeral expenses.

The Hill Country Veterans Center, Monday, Aug. 17, is hosting its 11th Annual Veterans Thanksgiving this fall and recently held its fourth annual Honoring Women Veterans event.

The Hill Country Crisis Council, Thursday, Aug. 20, has served survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Kerr County for more than 40 years and remains the only program in the area providing those services.

The Hill Country Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse also joins the Thursday, Aug. 20, lineup, rounding out a day anchored by health and human services organizations.

Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers — Wednesday, Aug. 19 — serves 19 counties across the region and operates a 16-bed crisis stabilization unit in Kerrville, alongside its mobile crisis outreach team.

Education, arts, and community

The Kerrville Public School Foundation, Wednesday, Aug. 19, used last year’s program to honor what it called KISD Heroes — school bus drivers who drove into harm’s way during the July 4, 2025, flood to evacuate children from area camps. Executive Director Sarah Baetz said the organization is also supporting KISD’s gifted and talented program this fall. Its annual Tailgate & Trivia fundraiser is set for Oct. 3 at the Inn of the Hills.

The Hill Country Youth Orchestras, founded in 1986 and appearing Aug. 14, brings the orchestra experience to young musicians across the greater Hill Country, with campuses in Kerrville and Boerne. Its Holiday High Tea fundraiser is set for Dec. 5 at the Museum of Western Art.

The Hill Country Master Gardeners, Wednesday, Aug. 19, logged more than 10,000 volunteer hours last year across more than 25 community projects and raised more than $19,000 in a single morning at its annual Blooms & Barrels plant sale. The organization is now accepting applications for its 2027 training class.

GliaConnect, Monday, Aug. 17, is one of this year’s more unexpected participants — a global organization headquartered in Kerrville that serves patients and families in 35 countries living with rare, genetic neurological diseases. Executive Director Erin Sullivan said the organization recently launched a sponsored genetic testing program and initiated the first-ever ALSP-CSF1R Awareness Week.

The Kerrville Ghostbusters — yes, that Kerrville Ghostbusters — open the Aug. 14 broadcast at 8:30 a.m. The organization, founded in 2024 and recognized as a 501(c)(3) this year, brings the community together through family-friendly events while raising funds and collecting donations for local children and schools. Their Back-to-School and Holiday Toy Drives benefit the Doyle Community Center.

The full week

All segments air live on The Kerr County Lead’s Facebook and YouTube pages and are archived at kerrcountylead.com/forging-connections-nonprofit-week-on-the-lead-live/. The complete schedule is available at that link.

Organizations still interested in participating can email sarah.stone@kerrcountylead.com to be added to the waiting list.