Looking for ways to help LGBT Bahamians in need after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas? We at GayTravel.com have made it easy to choose LGBT-friendly travel companies AND support the very worthy cause of getting much-needed funds to LGBT Bahamians in the aftermath of the hurricane. And best of all, our efforts are beginning to pay off, thanks to those who have generously donated so far.
Immediately following the hurricane in late August, GayTravel.com Editor Emeritus Charlie Rounds sprung into action and created an online donation campaign as a partnership between GayTravel.com, The Rustin Fund for Global Equality, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC), and Pride Fort Lauderdale.
This donation campaign focuses specifically on helping LGBT Bahamians, a group often overlooked by traditional charities and aid efforts.
GayTravel.com provides a way to donate to this important relief effort through our Let’s Get OUT There!SM campaign, which encourages travelers to give the money they save through our special discounts and promotions to worthy causes that uplift the community. Let’s Get OUT There!SM has already saved gay travelers over a quarter of a million dollars, and while there is no requirement to do anything with those savings, we do ask those who save to consider donating to Bahamian relief efforts.
It’s a win-win — you support inclusive companies while also providing aid to community members in the Bahamas who need your help now more than ever.
Already, our efforts to help this community are thriving. The fund has received many donations so far, including $2000 from Jesus People Arts & Worship Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Pastor Tom Cash and members of the center, along with the Abundant Grace Church in Granite Falls, reached out to members on Facebook as well as contacted their members directly to help.
The money will go directly to help LGBT Bahamians find temporary shelter in Nassau until they can safely go back to Abaco and Grand Bahama and start rebuilding their lives.
This isn’t the first time this dedicated group has mobilized quickly to respond to urgent need. Pastor Tom Cash and members also drove efforts to raise funds for LGBT people who had suffered great losses following Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. They knew that not all faith-based organizations shared their mission, and if they were going to get help to their community in the Bahamas, they would need to do it themselves.
Jesus People Arts & Worship Center was founded in 2011 around the belief that all people should be accepted, included, and welcomed to worship — especially those who have been wounded and disenfranchised by religious organizations. Pastor Tom Cash is a survivor of Reparative Therapy and is passionate that no other LGBTQ person has to suffer that process.
The church’s purpose is as follows: “To welcome a rejected people, those who have been marginalized by religion, society or other systems. To tell them that they are fully welcome in the church and that God has a special destiny and calling for their lives.”
All of us GayTravel.com would like to sincerely thank Pastor Tom and the members of the Jesus People Arts & Worship Center and the Abundant Grace Church for their donation and their support of the LGBT community in the Bahamas.
Inspired by the group’s dedication to helping others and want to make a contribution yourself? To donate and to learn more about the Let’s Get OUT There!SM campaign, click here.
