Aspiring Aggie Supports Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team

Story by Ainsley Treesh, VMBS Marketing & Communications

August 5, 2025

For Kamryn Balfour, an 11-year-old from Houston, the recent flooding in Central Texas hits close to home. During the floods, Kamryn was at a summer camp 19 miles away from Camp Mystic, where several young girls lost their lives. 

Wanting to support those impacted by the flood — and as a Texas A&M fan and compassionate animal lover — Kamryn raised $3,500 for the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET), which deployed to Central Texas to provide medical care for search and rescue canines looking for the missing.

Baked With Love

At the end of May, Kamryn launched “Kamryn’s Kravings,” a baking business she developed through a youth entrepreneurs fair. For her business, Kamryn makes homemade chocolate chip cookies to sell at local businesses in her community.

Although her business began as a passion project, it evolved into much more after Kamryn understood the vast impacts of the flooding in Central Texas. 

“When I came home from camp, I wanted to support people impacted by the flooding,” Kamryn said. “Since I couldn’t go in person, I started thinking of ways to help; then, I remembered my cookie business.”

With a heavy heart and desire to help, Kamryn decided to donate all the proceeds from her business to organizations supporting flood relief efforts. She began baking and selling cookies with a goal of raising $500.

However, as she continued baking, demand for her cookies grew exponentially. In just a few weeks, Kamryn baked more than 1,400 cookies and raised a total of $7,000.

Choosing the VET

Kamryn and her mom, Kelly, learned about the VET through their local news station and immediately felt drawn to the VET’s mission.

“We’re big Texas A&M fans and I’ve always had a love for animals, so after I learned about the work the VET was doing, I thought it was a great idea,” Kamryn said.

Kamryn’s parents are both Aggies and her older sister, Kendall, is transferring to Texas A&M this fall from Texas A&M University at Galveston. Kamryn is hopeful to follow in their footsteps as a member of the Class of 2036.

Kamryn’s love for animals also originates from College Station. Kamryn has fond memories of the Balfours’ cat, Billy Mack, whom her parents first brought home when they were students in College Station.

“I loved him so much,” Kamryn said. “I love dogs, too. I was a pet sitter this summer and we were going to go to Schlitterbahn, but I wanted to stay home with the dog I was sitting instead.”

The VET was the perfect combination of two of Kamryn’s passions — animals and Aggieland. She donated half of the proceeds from her cookie sales to the VET and the remaining half to Kerrville Pets Alive, a local nonprofit organization that has been working to save pets displaced by the flooding.

Kamryn’s selfless service is a powerful reminder that even in the face of tragedy, Aggies and Texans can be a force for good.

“We are incredibly grateful to Kamryn for her generous donation to the VET,” said Dr. Deb Zoran, director of the VET. “It’s inspiring to see someone so young already making such a difference in the world, and we are honored to have her support.”

If you feel moved to support the VET and their efforts, please visit tx.ag/SupportTheVet.

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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216

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