Derek Debowski, who you may know as the Packery Cowboy, needs your help.  Many recognize him because you see him fishing everyday but what you may not know is this is how he survives.  Four years ago his North Padre Island home on Reales Drive had an electrical fire that burned his garage and caused extensive damage to his house.  He lost everything.  His truck and tools were destroyed, which were the foundation of his business and livelihood.  He suffered severe burns to his back while trying to save his beloved dog, Buddy, who sadly perished in the fire.  From his US Army Service in Afghanistan, he suffered from PTSD and losing Buddy was a devastating blow.  Because Derek was unemployed at the time of the fire and didn’t have insurance, his mortgage company took out mortgage insurance, which does not cover personal property.  The mortgage insurance paid out approximately 60% of the value, which covered the amount outstanding on the mortgage.  That left him owning the burned up house and only a few thousand dollars left to get by.  A few thousand dollars doesn’t go far for a man that has been without work for more than 6 months and is recovering from burns, and lost his best friend in a fire that left his home unlivable.  
Before recovering from his burns, the code enforcement department from the City of Corpus Christi began issuing citations for code violations.  They shut off his water and discontinued his trash service further handicapping him and his ability to clean and repair his home or get meaningful work.  He was unable to appear for code violation hearings and subsequently ended up with 27 warrants making it impossible to get a job or even renew his driver’s license.  Code enforcement kept beating him while he was down making almost 20 trips to his property, fixing nothing, but racking up >$30,000 in fees, penalties, and fines.  No American should be treated this way in our community.
A group of caring neighbors came together as Neighbors Helping Neighbors and in one weekend they had the garage demolished and debris hauled off.  The next weekend another group of kind volunteers joined together to begin to clean out the inside of his house.  In two weekends, these dedicated volunteers did more than the City of Corpus Christi did in the four years that they did nothing but harass Derek and issue fines and penalties.  
The next steps are to continue the cleanup and begin to rebuild the interior of his house back to a livable condition.  Many local businesses have generously donated supplies and labor to help with the effort to get Derek back on his feet.  This effort is moving steadily forward but we still need your help!
Currently, Derek has approximately $18,000 in unpaid property taxes, about $2,000 in HOA fees, and still undetermined city fines and fees in excess of $30,000.
Next time you see the Packary Cowboy fishing ask him how to throw a cast net!  He is a real pro!  

***Although Derek served in combat in the US Army in Afghanistan, he does not consider himself a veteran because he refused to testify against fellow soldiers who were accused of bringing back items illegally and received a bad conduct discharge for refusing to follow orders to testify.  Derek is well loved by his neighbors for his kind demeanor and willingness to help others.***