Eugene and Michele - Recovery Fund
See the very bottom for items that have been donated. Instead of me sending daily updates with items purchased I will be keeping this list up to date.
Last update: 09/13/2017 @ 10:43pm
Your help is greatly appreciated no matter how great or small.
View the CNN interview with the Connor family: CNN Video
This fund is being set-up to help Eugene, Michele, and their 5 year old daughter Cynthia recover and rebuild after losing everything in Hurricane Irma. Their home and their personal belongings are gone. There is no power on the island at the moment and they have limited ability to go online and are focusing on trying to survive day by day for the time being. 
A view from the inside of the house.
View more photos of what they are dealing with: Photos
http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/09/14/st-thomas-irma-aftermath-family-saved-ganim-pkg.cnn
Gene was able to get a message out the morning following the storm and I was elated to have some contact, but that was quickly dashed by hopelessness as he said, "Survived Irma, just barely. Lost a roof and had to be rescued at the height of the storm by a friend of a friend whom we didnt even know but who risked his own life to get us to safety. Our part of St. Thomas is utterly destroyed."
When I was able to text Michele the following day after the storm she said, "Trying to find clothes and whatever else we can salvage." It wasn't about salvaging anything expensive or big, they were just hoping for the basics.
They currently have no shipping address. We are unable to ascertain whether the shipping center survived the storm.
Clothing and Shoe Sizes for the family:
Gene: shirts(XXL), pants(40x32), shoes(9.5)
Michele: shirt/dress (8), shoes (8.5 wide)
Cynthia: clothes (5-6/6x), shoes (11/12)
Items that have been donated:
4 - toothpaste, 8 - toothbrushes, Flossers
1 - rolling duffel bag
1 - backpack
1 - razors and 17 refill cartridges
1 - large survival first aid kit
8 - bath towels, 4 - face towels
1 - portable phone charger
Wipes (flushable)
Sanitizer
Tylenol PM
Trash bags
Lotion, coconut oil, vaseline
Lighters, Cigarettes
Bone for Doyle
Deodorant
Linens (sheets, pillows, blankets)
Kitchen basics
Gene:
1 - pair of men's pumas
2 - shirts
2 - dress shirts
1 - polo
Michele:
1 - pair of women's adidas
Underwear
Pads/Tampons/Personal Wipes
Night gown
dress
shirt and tank top
2 - blouses
6 - foundation tank tops in a variety of colors
Cynthia:
1 - pair of girl's river sandals
1 - pair of crocs
1 - backpack
3 - Barbies
3 - dresses
Note:The account limit was just an arbitrary value that I placed. I have no idea how much they'll need to rebuild their lives and my only hope is that it will be as inexpensive as $10,000.
Note2: My name is Thanh-Mai Bui. I went to school with Michele, am a friend of Eugene, and Cynthia is my god-daughter. I currently reside in Lancaster, PA.
Note3: Photos were obtained from Gene's facebook posts and Michele's text.
Note4: This account has been set-up with permission from Eugene.
