The City of Killeen has come together for a fundraising festival at the Killeen Special Events Center to support those in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
"The hurricane, yesterday has been a month, and we still have about 80 percent of my island without water and electricity," Juan Rivera, a City of Killeen council member and organizer of the fundraising festival, said.
Juan Rivera grew up in Puerto Rico and still has family who live there.
"My family, a lot of people's family up here, they're going through a very hard time," Rivera added. "Sometimes when I think at seven o'clock at night, that I'm over here at my house with lights and TV on, I got my family back home no electricity. They can't do anything, and here we are sitting like a king. And I just can't sit back and watch this."
Rivera and his committee put together an all-day fundraising festival with one hundred percent of the proceeds going to Puerto Rico and Mexico.
"From the mayor on down, everybody helped put this together. So, this is a team effort," Rivera said.
For Killeen's mayor, Jose Segarra and his wife, Laura, this event literally hit close to home.
"This has a huge meaning for us, not only because I'm from Puerto Rico, but because my wife, her heritage is from Mexico," Jose Segarra, Killeen mayor, said.
Thankfully, all of the Segarra's family are safe, but the last month hasn't been easy.
"It only goes to show how at the end of the day, we all come together regardless of where we're from," Laura Segarra said.
"It's not about a Puerto Rico or Mexico thing, it's just about the community, no matter who they are, they all come together... and I look around at all the people that are out here today, and it's a mix of cultures," Mayor Segarra added.
"From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you so much. And don't forget, the most important thing that we need to do is say a prayer. When we go to bed, pray for those people. Pray for them, pray for the electricity to come fast... all the prayers are more powerful than the money we're collecting," Rivera added.
The festival started at 11 a.m. and goes until midnight.
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