Texas Grandma Is Reuniting Flood Survivors With Lost Treasures

July 31, 2025

After devastating floods swept through central Texas, a woman named Dondi Persyn stepped up in an extraordinary way — not with heavy equipment or official titles, but with heart, determination, and a Facebook group.

Dondi Persyn | Credit: KENS 5 San Antonio

Dondi, a 54-year-old grandmother from Boerne, Texas, lives just a few miles from the Guadalupe River. While her home wasn’t affected by the flooding, her community was. And she knew she had to do something.

It started with a simple act: picking up items scattered along the riverbank while waiting for search crews. What began as one good deed quickly transformed into a full-scale recovery effort to reunite people with the pieces of their lives lost in the floodwaters.

She launched a Facebook group called "FOUND on the Guadalupe River," which quickly grew to more than 20,000 members. Through it, Dondi and others began sharing photos of found items — everything from children’s shoes and lifejackets to cherished jewelry and even a totem pole with its feathers still intact.

FOUND on the Guadalupe River | Facebook

People immediately began to respond. A teacher recognized her lost necklace. Another woman found her missing clothing and jewelry. Dondi even helped return a dental retainer — and a cat named Samson was located two weeks after the flood, safe and sound thanks to the group’s network of helpers.

“I had this feeling that if it were my family, or my children or my grandchildren, I’d probably want something,” Dondi said.

She and a team of volunteers carefully sort, clean, and preserve what they find — washing clothing, placing items in labeled bins, and treating each discovery with respect.

“We’re treating everything like it’s the most important thing,” she said. “We don’t know if that’s someone’s last remnant of a loved one.”

Facebook

Her background isn’t in emergency response — Dondi used to run a vintage store and now works as a perfumer — but her instincts for community and compassion have made a huge impact.

She’s brought comfort to people who have lost so much, and she’s shown just how powerful one person’s kindness can be when it’s shared with thousands.

“It’s really fated,” she said. “We have to teach other communities to do what we did.”

Thanks to Dondi and her growing team of volunteers, memories are being restored, hope is being renewed, and strangers are becoming neighbors once again.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'.” ― Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)