Virginia Beach Church Launches Jamaica Disaster Fundraising Drive

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

A fundraising campaign called Virginia for Jamaica was recently launched by Global Outreach Church, which is located in Virginia Beach near Mount Trashmore.

Organizers are seeking donations and hope to soon coordinate food shipments, as hundreds recover from Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that killed at least 30 people in Jamaica and Haiti when it barrelled through the island on Oct. 29.

Damaging winds and floods left three-quarters of the residents without homes, food, water, power or phone coverage. Crops are submerged and fields destroyed. According to news reports, health officials issued a crocodile warning, cautioning that flood waters could drive the reptiles into residential areas. There are whole families living on the streets, with infants.

“We have launched a campaign called Virginia for Jamaica, where we are raising funds to assist the most devastated areas of Jamaica right now,” said the Rev. Dr. Chris Cunningham, a native of Kingston, Jamaica who pastors GO Church, a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church. “We believe that we need to help, and we need to show love – a love that reaches, a love that gives compassion.”

Cunningham said he and his wife visited some of the now storm-damaged parts of Jamaica just two months ago during a family reunion. His wife is from St. Elizabeth, one of the areas hit hardest by the storm.

“It really brings it home for us that we were just there, and some of the places we saw are no longer there,” he said.

“The winds of Hurricane Melissa have left behind more than destruction – they’ve left behind heartbreak,” Cunningham said in a statement on the website for the non-profit that is now accepting donations. “But in the midst of the storm, hope still lives.”

“As a pastor now serving in Virginia, I believe that love – real love – must do more than feel. It must reach. That’s why our non-profit Global Community is launching ‘Virginia for Jamaica’ – a movement of compassion and action. You can help. We will be working with churches and community organizers to provide relief specifically for the people of St. Elizabeth.”

According to news reports, Jamaica has a catastrophe bond – a type of insurance for the country – which will hopefully allow people to get back on their feet, but many are struggling to survive the hurricane’s brutal aftermath.

The fierce winds and storm surge destroyed nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has left residents feeling increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

Capsized boats lie curbside. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles are crumbled wrecks. Survival is the primary concern on most people’s minds here. The other is the rising death toll. Local officials estimate that 90 percent of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town’s vital infrastructure has been destroyed too, including the local hospital, police station and fire station.Entire communities seem to be marooned and areas seem to be flattened.

To donate to those affected by the storm in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, go to https://www.glocom.info/melissarelief.