The George R. Brown Convention Center, centrally located in downtown Houston, has been home to the area’s Mini Maker Faires in years past. But in the wake of the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, it became an emergency shelter and relief center, helping roughly 10,000 Houston residents displaced by flooding. The center just closed shelter operation on September 19 and is now gearing up to host the first full-scale featured Maker Faire Houston, scheduled to take place on October 21 and 22.
In the face of adversity, the Houston maker community stepped up en masse to lend a helping hand, including robotics team students offering their assistance as a demolition crew, helping folks in need tear out wet sheet rock, flooring, and debris.
Houston’s TXRX Labs makerspace even launched a major initiative called Crafters for Good to enable their tools, community, and resources to have the greatest possible impact. From their site:
Makers can make all the difference. TXRX Labs’ most important asset is its community. We’d like to reach out to and put our resources to use in this time of great need. The Crafters for Good initiative was launched in order to both serve Houstonians affected and assemble those who are looking for a way to contribute.
Our current programs are the Harvey Relief Makeathons and the Harvey Relief Seminars. The Makethons will invite volunteers from the community to help by creating basic furniture needs for those starting over. Our Seminars will help our citizens get the information they need to work through the process of rebuilding.
Needless to say, the Houston maker community is clearly full of heart and soul. And naturally, with makers displaced and operations halted in so many sectors, the Maker Faire Houston organizing team had to consider the possibility of postponing the event. But as team member Andrew Lynch shared:
The maker community in Houston is quite resilient through difficult times. Many of the makers contacted the Faire team to continue the event. The Houston Maker Faire is an important gathering for makers to help each other.
Call for Makers Still Open
The community has spoken and the show will go on as planned! If you’re a local maker and would like to share what you make with the community, the Call for Makers is open until October 1st. The team is looking for all kinds of projects to add to the lineup, but in particular, startup companies, artists, and crafters are in demand. Last year’s Faire drew over 4,000 likeminded enthusiasts.
We applaud the Houston maker community and the Maker Faire Houston team for their dedication and perseverance!
ADVERTISEMENT
