An industry united for hurricane relief

BenefitsPRO editor Paul Wilson reflects on the industry's response to hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

$30 million and counting. That’s the amount NFL star J.J. Watt has raised for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts as I write this. By the time you read it, who knows how high that figure may have climbed? After all, when Watt announced the fundraising page with a video on Twitter in late August, his goal was to collect a modest $200,000. Heck, at this point, there have been nearly 200,000 donors.

At a time when it seems Americans can’t agree on anything, it’s been refreshing to see so many put aside their differences and show that we’re still capable of kindness and compassion. For the past few weeks, rather than a steady stream of divisive politics and name-calling, my social media timelines have been filled with rescuers saving animals from flood waters and volunteers unloading trucks full of food and supplies.