The Corpus Christi City Council honored Pete Trevino with a proclamation Tuesday for his dedication to helping families in need.
Trevino is the founder and CEO of the Big Bertha Foundation, a multi-entity nonprofit that partners with other organizations to raise money and assist communities across Texas and beyond. He began his charitable work 16 years ago following the death of his father.
"I'm still in shock," Trevino said. "I can't even put in words. I've been trying to come up with the right thing to accept, but it's just amazing that the city has just took into consideration a lot of hard work, not just myself but my team, the community, because without the community and the people that's been helping me for the past 16 years, we wouldn't even be here today."
Trevino said the recognition belongs to everyone who has supported his mission.
"You know, it's never been an I thing. It's been a community thing, it's been a team thing. So a lot of people have helped me get to this point, you know what I mean? So I've always want to make sure that I give the flowers where they're also due as well," Trevino said.
Trevino said his first act of service came in 2010 when he had to bury his father, and that experience sparked his passion for helping others.
Unlike foundations focused on a single cause, the Big Bertha Foundation takes a broad approach to charitable work. The organization has assisted families as far as Oklahoma, including one family who lost their home in a house fire.
The Big Bertha Foundation celebrates its one-year anniversary on Aug. 13. Trevino said his long-term goal is to expand the foundation's reach beyond Texas and eventually go global.
"Every, all these foundations that you hear about, they started with a dream. Whether it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, and they've made it, and I want to be the foundation that represents Corpus to the highest level, you know what I mean, a foundation that people can trust, a foundation that people can count on," Trevino said.
Trevino credited his team for keeping the foundation's work going even in his absence.
"I have a very, very, very loyal team. Even when I'm not here to make things happen, they step in and they make sure that we help out our community in every way, in each way that we can," Trevino said.
Those who want to donate can visit www.bigberthafoundation.org, where a donate button automatically generates a tax write-off form for private donations, businesses, and corporations. Donations are also accepted through Venmo and Cash App. The foundation can also be found on Facebook at the Big Bertha Foundation page, and Trevino can be reached personally on Facebook.
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