Summer Fan Drive meets $100K goal, collects nearly 900 fans

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texans came out on a warm Friday to drop off 896 fans and $100,000 in donations to help their fellow Texans stay cool.

Each year, Family Eldercare hosts a Summer Fan Drive, to collect donations to help Central Texans in need. Meeting this year's goal is especially heartening as the event was moved back to allow Texans to put their efforts toward helping their neighbors in another way in the aftermath of the devastating flooding over Fourth of July weekend.

KXAN and Roger Beasley Mazda are event sponsors and served as drop-off locations for the fans, where donors had a chance to interact with KXAN anchors and meteorologists.

Family Eldercare primarily serves older adults and people with disabilities, but the fans also go to families who do not have air conditioning, according to CEO Aaron Alarcón.

"A lot of the people we serve do not have the funds to pay for electricity, so sometimes they have to not use the AC," Alarcón said. "Some of them don't have the AC. So a fan saves lives because what it does is that it cools down the body temperaure, helping our population avoid heat strokes."

For those who didn't get a chance to participate, Family Eldercare is still collecting donations for the Summer Fan Drive on its website through Sept. 15.