Here in part is how I begged you to donate to relief efforts in “Hurricane Dorian Devastates My Bahamaland…,” September 2, 2019:
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The reason this weblog is ad-free (and “Like”-free) is that I don’t want my opinions tainted in any way by money-grubbing motivations, which determine content on virtually every other site. This is why I am even loath to solicit donations for worthy causes. In fact, I’ve been publishing this weblog for 15 years and I have only done so once. That was in 2008 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which devastated my mother country of the Turks and Caicos Islands. …
I’d appreciate anything you can give. The easiest and most reliable way to do so is to donate to The Bahamas Red Cross.
[Update Sept 4 at 8:42 am: I gather many would prefer a more personal/direct way to donate. If you are among them, I invite you to do so via the donate button above. I assure you that, through the local ministry of my brother, Bishop Joseph L. Hall JP, every cent you give will go directly to those in despairing need.]
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That “update” I posted is noteworthy. Because, by the time I posted it, many of you had already donated to The Bahamas Red Cross. Perhaps this explains why total donations via this portal amounted to only $3,075.31.
To date, your donations have helped us serve nearly 4,000 hot meals. It’s not quite the 100,000 chef José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen claims to have served. But there’s no match for the restoration of pride in those we serve – many of whom say how glad they are to see “our own people” coming to their aid.
I thank all of you for donating to our cause – no matter where or how much. I know first-hand how much every dollar means to the people Dorian displaced. Words cannot convey the depth of my gratitude.
That said, this experience has only vindicated my reluctance to beg for donations. In my September 6 commentary, I bemoaned that GoFundMe pages were “proliferating like rabbits.” I had no idea … The only other time I begged for donations (as referenced above), Kickstarter was still a year, and GoFundMe still two years, from … kick starting.
I won’t cast aspersions on anyone. Suffice it to say I would never have begged for donations if I knew I would be just one of thousands doing so. Granted, I probably would’ve known if all social media were not so anathema to me …
Like social-media networks, fundraising portals have some socially redeeming value. Unfortunately, like the former, the latter seems designed for exploitation (by designers and users alike). And I fear one of the more devastating things Dorian left in its wake is a cottage industry of people raising funds for causes that appear more personal than charitable.
I am now convinced that my initial decision to direct you to The Bahamas Red Cross was correct. No matter how well-intentioned, I regret redirecting you to my portal. This pricked too many people to swat at me with suspicion, which is clearly warranted in so many other cases.
I planned to continue fundraising until September 22 – at which time I intended to publish a final commentary on this disaster. But I have decided to make this that final one. I trust you understand.
I described our relief efforts in each of my previous commentaries. More to the point, I can assure you that every dollar you donated went to those efforts. But rebuilding in The Bahamas will continue for years to come. And those of us with family ties there will be helping each step of the way, naturally.
Finally, despite Dorian, “It’s [Still] Better in The Bahamas”. You can help rebuilding efforts by booking your next vacation there here. And, wherever you stay, please make a point of shopping at local stores and eating at local restaurants.
NOTE: I shall resume regular commentaries with my regular Saturday cartoon on September 21.
Related commentaries:
Dorian…
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