With Hurricane Harvey still dumping rain on Texas and Louisiana, local sports figures have joined the fight to help Houston and the surrounding communities fight through devastation. It is a process that will take months, if not years, and it will utilize every penny raised.

The Detroit Lions announced Thursday that they have made an enormous donation to the Red Cross to help Houston:

On behalf of Mrs. Ford and her family, the Detroit Lions have donated $1,000,000 to the @RedCross for Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/RfxkFVqZAE

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 31, 2017

Houston Texans Pro-Bowl linebacker J.J. Watt, who began his collegiate football career as a tight end at Central Michigan University, has led the way in the relief effort. On August 27, He organized the Houston Flood Relief Fund on the charitable crowds-funding site YouCare.com. Watt kicked it off with a personal donation of $100,000. He was hoping people would band together and double that amount.

Boy, did he underestimate the generosity of the American people when we gather together to help each other.

Here is Watt’s video on the progress of the Fund as of 11:00 am Thursday:

$10 MILLION!!!

Absolutely incredible.

The most difficult times bring out the best in humanity. https://t.co/SR6DmnNbyM pic.twitter.com/0H8jHcZCQc

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 31, 2017

And here’s another update as of this afternoon:

$12 MILLION!!!https://t.co/SR6DmnNbyM

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 31, 2017

Wow! It is quite humbling and powerful. It is the largest charitable crowd-funding effort ever.

That money will go a long way, but a lot more is needed. If you have the ability to help, even a little, please do.

You can text the word HARVEY to the number 90999 and a $10 donation to the American Red Cross will be on your next cell phone bill. If you cannot donate that much, or want to donate more, you can go directly to Watt’s You Care page and make a donation of any amount.

A lot of times the headlines are filled with sports figures doing wrong. Please share this information so the Lions, Watt, and others like them get some well-deserved publicity for going out of their way to do the right thing.