APRO’s Disaster Relief Fund eases hurricane impact
While the final cost of damages wrought by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike on the Gulf Coast is still being calculated, the direct impact on businesses and their employees was immediate.
An unknown number of rent-to-own dealers sustained damage as a result of the September storms, which forced the evacuation of millions and plunged whole cities into darkness.
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It was under similar circumstances APRO’s RTO [Relief to Our] Employees Disaster Relief Fund was created three years ago in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and four rent-to-own companies have recently put the fund to good use in this latest round of natural disasters.
The $200 per employee disaster relief checks brought a measure of ease to 94 employees who were unable to clock in to work due to store closures, found themselves with refrigerators filled with spoiled food due to lack of electricity or faced other storm related challenges.
Hurricane Ike delivered extensive damage to eight of John Spangle’s twelve Houston area rent-to-own stores and he said the disaster relief checks were a real morale booster to the 38 employees impacted.
"We didn’t let them know about it until the checks arrived on Friday," Spangle said. "When we did we had some really excited people on our hands. It went a long way toward boosting morale and that’s because APRO and the industry stepped forward. This fund is a blessing for those of us who ended up needing it."
Five of Spangle’s Rent-n-Roll Custom Wheel and Tire stores and three of his Partner’s Rental Purchase stores were damaged in the towns of Texas City, Pasadena, Friendswood, Dickinson and Houston.
Spangle, who’s Texas City store sustained the most damage after gale force winds ripped a three foot hole in the roof allowing it to be flooded, said he had around 111 units out on rent in Galveston — a city which was mostly leveled in the disaster.
Spangle still doesn’t have electricity in his Friendswood home and only got electricity back in his office yesterday. Every morning for the past week, he’s had to haul a gas generator onto the roof of his second story office building — in order for the extension cords to reach — to operate computers and office equipment.
At the end of the day, he hauled the generator back down again.
"I was so happy when I drove up and saw those lights on," Spangle said. "I’ll never complain about another light bill again."
So far, the RTO Employees Disaster Relief Fund has paid out over $25,000 to rent-to-own employees affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
The fund paid out over $159,000 in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita which helped 159 employees survive and recover from those natural disasters.
However, hurricane season is not over and unfortunately, more storms are likely to strike. APRO urges donation to this important fund. Donations can be made with regular association dues payments or by check, made out to APRO, indicating the disaster relief fund.
"If you can’t look to your colleagues for help, you really don’t have much of an industry," said APRO Public Affairs Director Richard May. "Through this relief fund, APRO helps bring identity, integrity and community to the rent-to-own industry."
Dues statements contain a section where this optional donation can be made.
Since APRO started collecting donations via dues bills in 2006, over $47,000 has been raised.
Learn more here.
Email from Houston Rent-n-Roll store manager Matthew Wilt to John Spangle (employee names omitted):
"My entire store is thankful for the economic assistance you helped with through APRO. (An employee) said he wasn’t sure what he was going to do for food because he hosted a house full of relatives with out power and they ate him out of house and home. (One employee’s) apartment was looted on Sunday the 14th and they stole all the kids electronic games and his son’s birthday presents and that helped restore some joy to his family in a bad time. Thank you very much."