Friends of Bahamas #DorianRelief #BahamasStrong

Hurricane Dorian slammed the island of Grand Bahama for 40 hours straight, and the times ahead will not be easy for many on a tiny island our family calls home.


Shawn Sorsby, Math Teacher and Chess Coach:
"I have worked with youth in Grand Bahama since 2015 and many of my students and chess players have traveled to not only compete, but win in chess tournaments internationally. These young players are leaders in their community, are well mannered, respectable and many are straight A students. Grand Bahama has become my home, and my students, as I have witnessed them grow, have become my extended family."

Dr. Chandia Sorsby is born and bred Bahamian:
"Grand Bahama island is the place where I learned to walk and the village that taught me to fly. I may have left The Bahamas, but The Bahamas has never left me. It's gold, aqua and black threads are engrained in the very fiber of my being. No matter where life has taken me, in my pursuit to be a pediatrician, I have always returned home, to my first love."

Now imagine the heartbreak felt as the waves washed over what was once our happy place. Imagine the trauma of seeing the place we call home, struggle under the weight of an angry tide. Imagine the pain felt when that same unforgiving tide swept over memories, and landmarks, and family, some not to surface again. 




Now imagine being there, seeing firsthand, the weight of the winds, hearing the ear- ringing howl in the air, feeling the depth of the darkness, uncertain of the destruction that looms and your terror rising as the waters do too.

Now imagine the innocence lost, the haunting memories and the trauma that lingers long after the winds cease to blow.  

This innocence, this haunting, this trauma belongs to our children - the children we once were, the children we have watched grow, the children we have doctored and the children that will now struggle to fly. They too feel the heartbreak. Now in the aftermath of the storm, they struggle to pick up the pieces without electricity, without clean, running water, without any morsel of normalcy and the puzzle board itself has been warped by the flooding waters. 


After reaching out to past students and youth we have worked with in the past, we have identified several families that are in dire need of help. These are amazing children that are close to our hearts, and some have lost everything. Our goal is to meet their immediate needs now, then help them rebuild. 



Chandia has already begun raising funds for her family and neighbors to get ahead of relief efforts, and those contributions have already helped families in need on the island of Grand Bahama: 

Hurricane Dorian Relief. Bahamas Strong 

Thank you!!

But please, let us not forget the children!
We hope we can continue this effort, as we work together to adopt these families.

What items are needed?

Clothing
toddler sizes (3T, 4T)
girl sizes (9/10, 16/18 and 16 pants)
boys sizes (small, medium and 18 shirts)
women sizes (2/3)

Water 
Canned Goods
Can openers (manual)
Diapers 
Baby formula
Flashlights
Batteries
Small generators
Toiletries (soap, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, hand sanitizers)
Battery-operated fans
First aid items
Blankets
Sleeping bags

How will we get it done?

We have a team in Florida ready to pack and consolidate items for families. 

We have teams on the ground in Grand Bahama.

100% of all funds will benefit those who need it most.

100% of donations are tax deductible. 

If you would like to send non-monetary donations, please ship them to:
               
Hurricane Dorian Relief                               
3550 NW 85TH CT
APT 243                                                              
Doral, FL 33122               
    
Please keep the people of the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in your thoughts, prayers and hearts. 

Thank you to those who are reaching out to their networks and places of work to help. Every bit helps. 

Please don't forget the children.