It hasn’t been an easy year for Texas. On top of the impacts of COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri had devastating effects across the state, leaving many without water, power and heat, and with homes and businesses flooding due to burst pipes. After another severe storm, Comfort Cafe in San Antonio was damaged by a devastating flood, causing the eatery — which benefits addiction recovery programs and was named the #1 Place to Eat in Texas by Yelp earlier this year — to shutter until the restaurant could rebuild.
In response to this challenging year, Yelp declared Thursday, August 26th “Make It Happen Day” in Texas: A day to inspire the community to take action towards making the updates and improvements needed for their homes and businesses. As part of the campaign, Yelp is launching the $100,000 Make It Happen Day Fund, to help small businesses and consumers across Texas make much-needed repairs. The fund will go towards covering the cost of repairs for select small businesses across Texas, like Comfort Cafe, as well as eligible Texas residents in need of home updates or repairs.
To help spread the word and get the funds to those in need of home repairs, Yelp teamed up with Austin’s own Brooklyn Decker, actor on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and self-described home decor fanatic.
“To give back to Texans across the state, I’ve partnered with Yelp to launch a $100,000 Make It Happen Day fund. We had a tough year and spent more time in our homes than ever before. I’m glad we can bring some much-needed good news to those looking to make necessary repairs and updates. I can’t wait to see all the great projects Texans will spearhead to spruce up their homes and small businesses,” says Brooklyn Decker.
Win $1,000 for your home repairs
As a part of Make It Happen Day, Texans will have a chance to win $1,000 toward their project with one of the many trusted home services professionals on Yelp. Eligible Texans can enter for a chance to win by using Yelp’s Request a Quote feature to find a home services professional in their area, and submitting the quote at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com on August 26, 2021. *The Official Rules are available at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com/Rules.
Giving back to local businesses
As part of Make It Happen Day, five local businesses across Texas will each receive $10,000 to make much needed repairs and updates to their facilities. Small businesses have struggled throughout the pandemic, and many beloved pillars of the community experienced further challenging circumstances with flooding, fires and damages to their establishments on top of an already difficult year. The funds will go towards helping Comfort Cafe in San Antonio, Austin Pets Alive!, House Park Bar-B-Que in Austin, Casita Tex Mex in Dallas, and The Big Easy in Houston.
Austin Pets Alive! rescued over 1,040 dogs and cats from all over Texas during the historic winter storms. APA! relies on highly-rated service professionals, like Elite Heating and Air Conditioning, which has assisted them with repairs for several years now, and will continue to support the shelter in their facility upkeep.
Much like San Antonio’s cherished Comfort Cafe, House Park Bar-B-Que, the oldest barbecue spot in Austin, was damaged by circumstances out of their control. After extensive fire damage, the BBQ joint has remained closed since December 2020 while trying to raise enough money and rebuild. Family owned and operated, the restaurant was established in 1943, and still needs to hire professionals to help with roofing, painting and more before they can reopen.
Beloved local favorite, Casita Tex Mex in Dallas, was damaged by an electrical fire in December 2020, and has yet to reopen due to the repairs still needed to their building.
Local live music venues, vital to the heart and soul of Texas communities, experienced hardship as doors remained closed for months. The Big Easy, an iconic Houston blues club that narrowly survived the pandemic with the help of their fans after an 18 month closure, will use the funds to help make repairs to their stage, the raised area next to the stage, the bar area, floors and walk-in cooler.
Let us know what project you plan to tackle on Make It Happen Day at @Yelp on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
*Fifty (50) winners will receive a $1,000 American Express gift card to be used towards a home project. The giveaway is limited to the following categories: Handyman, landscapers, roofers, plumbing, painting, electrician, flooring or HVAC. See the Official Rules available at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com/Rules.
