Written by Josh Crane

DENTON, TX — After a series of tornadoes devastated a small Texas town, area Fathom Realty agents came together to offer relief and aid.

On April 29th, 2017, at least seven tornados touched down in Canton, Texas, causing 5 deaths, and over 30 hospitalizations. Following the tragedy, relief volunteers flooded in from all over the country and state, including the aid of our very own Fathom agents, namely, Bryce Olson — a Fathom agent and missions pastor of Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, TX.

Spearheading the assembly of support team from his church, Olson drove down to Canton to aid in clean-up and organization of disaster relief supplies. He also helped coordinate a collection of donations from other Fathom agents totaling more than $600.

 

Olson jumped into action immediately following the tragedy. After announcing his plan on social media, ten members of his church volunteered to join his team, including an expectant mother (four months along) and her 3-year-old son. Within a couple of days, they made arrangements and were traveling to Canton. While in preparation, Olson received a phone call in response to his social media post from Carol Verhey, a nearby Fathom District Director. Together, they coordinated a donation plan from other Fathom agents who were unable to join them in the relief work.

Traveling to one of the hardest-hit locations, Olson’s team met up with another ministry, “Rock-Bottom Outreach,” led by Rick Smith, who helped them organize over 25 pallets of disaster support supplies and food from Loads of Hope — a program coordinated through SOS Support.  They also helped clean and remove debris from locations that had not been reached by official cleaning crews.

When asked about his work in the efforts, Olson insisted, “This is a very collaborate effort of ministries and businesses coming together. It was lots of different groups, not just me, or my church alone.”

For Olson, this trip epitomized the reason he joined Fathom. “My ability to have both a role in the church and a role in the business is exactly why I wanted to choose Fathom. I felt [that it] embodied a different model and servant-minded attitude.” Olson also finds that his work as a Fathom agent helps to support his role in the church as well.

The $600 collected is being passed directly to two of the families devastated by the tornados. As a newer agent, this was Olson’s first relief trip involving Fathom agent support, however, he looks forward to similar opportunities of service in the future.

Edited by: Geoff Stertz, Fathom Realty Marketing