Country star Toby Keith helps spread fire relief awareness

Wildfire relief efforts in southwest Kansas received a boost Monday from a country music star.

Partnering with the nonprofit Ashland Community Foundation in Clark County, country singer Toby Keith recorded a public service video announcement to help solicit donations for those in need following the devastating wildfires in the area this spring.

Fires that broke out in early March burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Kansas and Oklahoma, including around 350,000 acres in Clark County alone.

Keith’s 50-second video plea for donations went live on the foundation’s website and Facebook page on Monday morning, said Bill Shaw, an area rancher and the president of the organization’s board of directors.

“We lost at least 21 homes in Clark County alone,” Shaw said. “We lost 4,200 miles of fencing in the county, which is an incredible number. The major crisis is over, but we’re in recovery mode and there’s a lot to be done.”

An Oklahoma native, Keith asks for those who are so inclined to offer a “helping hand” to their “friends and neighbors in southwest Kansas and northwest Oklahoma” who were left devastated by the fires.

“If you know anything about the people from around here, we don’t stay down,” Keith said in the video.

As of Monday, Shaw said the foundation had already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. With the widespread destruction of land, homes, cattle and fencing, Shaw said, a lot more money will be needed to help ranchers and producers recover.

“My in-laws lost 500 cows and calves and 100 miles of fence,” Shaw said. “The loss of future revenue for people is what will really hurt. Right now, the biggest need is for fencing supplies.”

Shaw said the Ashland Community Foundation seemed like the logical organization to administer fundraising efforts, because people in the area trust it. He said each homeowner who lost a home in Clark County was already given $1,000 for necessary expenses or insurance deductible payments.

Those who lost homes will be able to apply for additional assistance from the foundation, Shaw said, beginning on May 1, while ag producers can apply for financial relief through a similar foundation program beginning a month later.

“Fire relief is not the reason why the foundation exists, but we felt it was important to step up,” Shaw said. “Every dollar given to us will get redirected into the community for the relief effort. People know where their money will go with us.”

Shaw said volunteers have continued to flood in from around the country. Many volunteers have been staying at a Christian youth camp in Ashland, a town with close to 900 residents.

“We’re getting calls every day from people who want to help,” Shaw said. “It’s very heartening. It’s a reminder that people really do care. We’ve received volunteers by the hundreds.”

Those wishing to donate to the Ashland Community Foundation’s relief effort can do so by visiting the organization’s webpage at www.ashlandcf.com.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Country star Toby Keith helps spread fire relief awareness."