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Thoughts on donations to island residents
#225590
04/27/2020 01:56 PM
04/27/2020 01:56 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,832 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,832
Central Florida!
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I have been asked by a board member to make a statement here with regard to fundraising for those in need on SXM, as a result of Covid 19. After Irma, it became apparent that, that there were many people who tried to help those in need. The majority of them were honest and well-meaning and the money went where it was supposed to go. However, there were some who either sought to establish Go Fund Me accounts or other methods of fundraising for THEMSELVES or otherwise didn’t have the ability to do something that they had no experience doing, and results were less outstanding. The need as a result of the current Covid 19 situation, if anything, is more than following Irma and will be for a longer term, in many situations, especially since many who are in need now have never fully recovered from Irma. Most of us here are true lovers of SXM and her PEOPLE are what has brought many of us back, over many years, in addition to all her other charms. We hurt for her people, as well as all of those here at home who are suffering from this situation. It’s only appropriate that we should want to help out those in need and I encourage you to do that, if your finances will allow. But when you do give, PLEASE be careful and give only to organizations that can be trusted to handle the gifts appropriately.
We refused to allow those fundraising posts to be made after a while post Irma, because of the above issues. We are not in the business of vetting charitable organizations and the purpose of this post is NOT to endorse any particular organization or group or to have members compile a list of those they feel are trustworthy. Please DO NOT respond to this message to suggest appropriate places to donate. If you donated post Irma to some organization or group and feel your gift was handled appropriately, reach out to them again and see what they might be doing to help now. Or contact trusted island friends to get THEIR recommendations for how you might best help out. I have been in touch with board members Bill and Elaine and Ritchard and they have made some recommendations for organizations that they feel are trustworthy. If you need a recommendation, please contact one or the other of them by private message.
Some in the past have mentioned having us here at TTOL raise funds for SXM. That is NOT what we do and we are not set up at all to manage such an endeavor. We are especially unable to do that at THIS time because, as you know, we are supported solely by local businesses. Those same local businesses have zero income at this time, and thus we here at TTOL have no income, yet our expenses go on.
We all know that we would all love to be able to return NOW to SXM and spend some money to help the island economy. That won’t be possible, at least for the short term. But perhaps we can make some contributions in another way to local residents, until we can return.
Carol Hill
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Re: Thoughts on donations to island residents
[Re: Ritchard]
#225609
04/27/2020 05:14 PM
04/27/2020 05:14 PM
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,310
Kennys
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Traveler
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,310
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Re: Thoughts on donations to island residents
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#225634
04/28/2020 11:13 AM
04/28/2020 11:13 AM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,288
PelicanPirate
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,288
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Agree with this completely. All we can do via this great forum is favor/disfavor disproportionately.
SXMers are smart and can and do help themselves. As Usual. They have local and far away govt help.
Worldwide, we have to channel our best thinking, hopes, prayers, energy, political pressure, money, industry and government into development and mass production of cost effective, large scale, ubiquitous testing, remedies, and cures.
May it all come very quickly, the motivation is there.
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Re: Thoughts on donations to island residents
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#225791
05/01/2020 12:07 AM
05/01/2020 12:07 AM
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,649 Brookfield, CT.
pat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,649
Brookfield, CT.
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Just want to add a personal thank you, Carol, for this post and to Elaine Miller, too, for pointing me in the right direction to some well respected island charities. I had some difficulty with one of the websites in trying to make the donation but I sent them an email and they responded almost immediately, and I was able to do so. The really nice part of doing this was the follow-up email I received from one of the organizations the next day thanking me and telling me how much they appreciated the donation. I had already gotten PayPal notifications from both organizations I had donated to and was expecting nothing further so the personal thank you was special.
Respectfully,
pat
"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
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