DENVER — Coloradan Hillary Conway is a former camper and counselor at Camp Mystic, the epicenter of the deadly Texas flooding last week. The total death toll currently stands at 120, and 173 people remain missing. Among the missing are five children and one counselor from Camp Mystic.
Hillary described to Denver7 the moment she heard the news about what was happening.
"I got a phone call at 5:30 in the morning from my best friend in Amarillo whose daughters were at second term," Hillary said.
Hillary's daughter, Alice Rose, was in the first session of Camp Mystic and got back to Colorado just a week before the flooding hit. Hillary and Alice Rose even took a picture with one of the camp's executive directors and owners Dick Eastland before he died in the natural disaster. Dick and his wife Tweety were the third generation to manage Camp Mystic, which has been in the family since 1939, according to the camp's website.
The Conways told Denver7, this was more than just a camp for them.
"It's an all-girls camp, and the second I found out [Alice Rose] was a girl, I started screaming that she could go to camp," Hillary said. "The excitement after going there since 1986, I got to be a camper, a counselor and now a parent."
They wanted to find a way to help.
"We have felt completely helpless. We're not sleeping. I just want to get down there. I almost booked a flight yesterday to go help clean, and they said, 'let's hold off,'" Hillary said.
So Hillary and her daughter Alice Rose started making what they call Tweety cookies — named after one of the camp's executive directors and owners — to collect donations for flood recovery. Tweety's cookies are a tradition for campers.
"I just want you to feel the love from Tweety, and the cookies she shared with us," Hillary said.
They've collected more than $10,000 in donations so far. They're still accepting donations and then Hillary plans to send the money to Camp Mystic next week. The Conways told Denver7, they're completely stunned by the support they've seen from the community.
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Remembering some of the lives lost in the Texas flood tragedy
If you missed the cookie sale and are looking for a way to help victims of this tragedy, there are several ways to do so. One of them is donating to the Scripps News Group and Scripps Howard Texas flooding relief fund. To do so, simply text SCRIPPS to 50155 or fill out the form below. Every dollar you give to the fund goes directly to those impacted by the secatastrophic floods.
This campaign is a Scripps News initiative in collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to this campaign are tax deductible.
This campaign is a Scripps News Group initiative in collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to this campaign are tax deductible.
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