The Coalition was first approached by Leipzig during our work on the Housing For Harvey program. The City of Leipzig and its Sister City Committee saw the devastation done to Houston and reached out to local agencies about our city’s immediate needs and ways they could help.

The Coalition was chosen as one of the beneficiaries of funds raised from a concert that took place at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Donations received from the concert surpassed €26,000 (that’s more than $32,000!), showing us that even though they were an ocean away, our global connection still made a difference in a time of need.

There were 25 members of the delegation from Leipzig, including Mr. Thomas H. Meister, the Consular General of Germany in Houston. Our President/CEO Marilyn Brown presented to our Sister City travelers about the work of the Coalition, followed by a brief Q&A that allowed the travelers to ask questions about how their donation was being used and ways we could partner in the future.

We are so thankful for the support of our Sister City and look forward to strengthening our bond with them. Though we hope the need will never arise, we know that Houston will always be there should Leipzig ever need our assistance.

We want to give a special thanks to the Board of the Sister City Organization, Beverly Davis, Lutheran Disaster Response of America, the German Consulate in Houston, and the entire City of Leipzig for their unwavering generosity and belief in the work that we do.