North Texas teen turns heartfelt song into flood relief for Central Texas
A North Texas teenager is using her love for music — and her heart for others — to help victims of the deadly flooding in Kerr County.
Seventeen-year-old Charlotte March, of University Park, has loved music all her life, sharing her songs as an extension of her emotions.
"Whenever I sing, I sing with emotion," March said. "It's kind of like a way of drawing out the emotions that I'm feeling."
Inspired by summers at Camp DeSoto
March's other passion is Camp DeSoto, a Christian summer camp in Alabama she's attended since age 9. Because the camp meant so much to her, she wrote a song about it titled "Sunday Lunches and Fairy Houses."
"It's about the feeling of those experiences," she said. "How that Sunday meal made it feel like home. How the fairy houses made you remember your childhood."
Flooding hits close to home
Just days after releasing the song, catastrophic flooding struck Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Kerr County, killing 27 girls and staff members. Many of the victims were neighbors of the March family in the Park Cities.
"I know that camp. I know people who went there," March said. "It was a really emotional moment for me. I kept thinking, 'What if this had happened to my camp?'"
Family ties to Kerrville deepen impact
The tragedy hit even closer to home — March's grandfather and his wife live in Kerrville. Their home was spared, but many of their friends were deeply affected.
"I thought, 'What can I do to help aid these people?'" she said. "And then it came to my mind — I could use my song."
Proceeds go to flood relief efforts
March is donating all proceeds from her song on iTunes to flood victims in Kerr County. She's also matching every dollar with her own savings and giving it all to Texans on Mission, the organization her grandfather is a member of.
"I wrote this song at the exact right time," she said. "I released it at the exact right time."
Lyrics become a lifeline
With each verse and donation, the lyrics — once written as a love letter to camp — have become a lifeline to families forever changed by tragedy.
"There's hope, there is future, there is life," March said. "And as long as there are those three things, we can continue and move on, no matter how hard things have gotten."
Charlotte's song, "Sunday Lunches and Fairy Houses," is available on iTunes and Apple Music. All proceeds go to flood relief efforts in Kerr County. March said she is working with Apple to track how much has been raised so far.
