With so many people donating money, gifts, and time during the holiday season, local organizations seek to educate those in the community about long-term needs and how they can help. Brazos Valley Blessings (BVB) was established in October 2020 by community member Amber Robertson. Her daughter, senior Briasia Robertson, joined forces with her to create a non-profit organization to show students and families that they matter and help eliminate the factors that lead to the poverty cycle.
“The purpose and mission of Brazos Valley Blessings is to ‘Build the Brazos’ and end poverty,” Briasia said. “We help families every single day, from our Christmas list to families in the CPS system.”
Briasia says she wants others to understand that poverty is not a choice and that everyone needs help sometimes, one way or another.
“I was raised in a house with philanthropy and philanthropists,” Briasia said. “I was raised to understand that it could be me or you out there that needs help. It could be our families or friends, and knowing who I’m helping people is a humbling experience that brings hope.”
At the time Amber Robertson, viewed BVB as a one-time attempt to provide holiday cheer during the Corona virus pandemic.
“My mom has always been a philanthropist,” Briasia said. “She didn’t have much growing up, so when she could provide for others, that’s what she wanted to do.”
Amber Robertson has a deep love for philanthropy. Her childhood experiences influenced her and pushed her to do better. She has strived to pass on that same empathetic mindset to her children through their help within BVB.
“My children have been involved with BVB from the beginning and have been blessed to be exposed to things others have not,” Amber Robertson said. “When I started BVB, I felt I was just doing what God led me to do. I was blessed, so I had to do His work and care for His children. My work with BVB has impacted me because it’s given me more fight. It makes me want to be a better mom each and every day because I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
After the initial event and with the support of her family, friends, and board of supporters, BVB expanded to assist citizens in their daily lives. This consisted of helping allocate community resources and supplying families with essential household items such as diapers and wipes, baby formula, and household cleaners.
Briasia began working for BVB as a junior board member and was quickly promoted to social media and volunteer coordinator. She works with over 80 volunteers and with the Bryan ISD student ambassadors to ensure events run smoothly.
“I work with a team of interns; they help me with everything,” Briasia said. “They are some of my favorite people, and we work together well.”
BVB understands that money is tight for many families in the Brazos Valley, so they value each penny they receive and use it to achieve their goals.
“One time, a mom on a very fixed income sent us $2.40 because that was all she had,” Amber Robertson said. “She believed in us and what we were doing, which made me very emotional and grateful.”
In December, BVB hosted its third annual Community Christmas Gala and Silent Auction. Proceeds helped over 490 children from low-income families celebrate Christmas. Several Bryan ISD ambassadors volunteered at the Gala.
“I volunteered to work at the BVB Gala because I wanted to grow in my experience of helping people and grow my outreach in the community,” sophomore Will Zwerneman said. “I thought it would be interesting to help support Brazos Valley Blessings and work for them because they work so hard for us.”
Volunteering during the Gala opened many students’ eyes to the complexity of poverty in the community.
“I never really thought about what goes on in the community regarding charity before the Gala,” Will said. “It gave me new knowledge of how to give back. One of the things that I gained from this experience was how great it felt to dedicate some of my time to helping and assisting in any way I can for the people of Bryan.”
Students also used the opportunity to volunteer as a way for them to broaden their perspective and understanding of the issues many in the community face each day while also discovering that they can be part of the solution.
“People should volunteer because it requires them to see life from a different perspective they don’t usually see,” sophomore Rory Merrell said. “Many of these things can apply to our daily lives, specifically making connections with people you normally would never talk to.”
The connections made during the Gala benefitted the population BVB services and the volunteers as they discovered something bigger than themselves.
“Working the BVB Gala meant a lot to me because I gained more experience working with others,” Rory said. “I also learned to be more selfless and know my community better.”
Though the organization is able to bring so much hope and joy to the community, there is still so much need.
“Seeing the growth of the organization and the impact we have been able to have within the community has been the most rewarding part of BVB,” Amber Robertson said. “The hard days are when I have to say no to funding when we have nothing available, but we keep moving forward to meet the needs of the Brazos Valley.”
As a non-profit organization, BVB provides 100% free items to community members across seven counties. The program is primarily conducted through its Facebook group, which has over 10,000 members. Those interested in volunteering or needing assistance can contact the group through https://www.facebook.com/bvblessings/.
