Hands on for hope

It was a natural disaster and a national crisis. Hurricane Dorian had brought utter ruin to the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco. It was not just the power of the winds but the surge of water that followed. A tsunami wave had raced toward these islands and angrily swept away hundreds of people who will never be accounted for. Thousands of others were left completely homeless.

We live on an island only seventy miles away. It could have been us. So, on New Year's Eve 2020, with help from generous friends in our small community, we hosted a party for a few hundred people to raise desperately needed funds for the Global Empowerment Mission, a responsible, smart, hands-on foundation that is helping to rebuild lives.

Claire went into Top Banana mode. She borrowed industrial-sized saucepans in which she cooked soups, was lent fridge space around the island to store salmon, ordered in exotic vegetables, sourced out crusty breads, and peeled sackfuls of potatoes as delicious sweet hams bubbled in Coca-Cola on stove tops for hours on end, always her pièce de résistance. Crates of chilled champagne and cases of wine began to arrive. Wheels of cheese and baskets of fruit were delivered.

A crew from the Other Side, a family-run hotel, rescued us with tents, tables, goodwill, and manpower. But there was plenty of womanpower too, hanging chandeliers, hoisting lighting, and stringing up branches from tropical trees. Napkins came from Pomegranate and coolers chilling ice from Fieldbar. Countless candles were lit, and the band rehearsed whilst I tore out my hair over the seating plan. So many politics were involved in that.

The music started, the ice clinked, and guests swarmed on the terrace and down the drive as children spilled out across the grass. Drinks drifted into dinner: Captain Bob said an opening prayer reminding us why we had come together. Fireworks were let off into the inky sky.

We danced, laughed, and lingered as we welcomed in a new decade together, hopeful for our neighbors future thanks to the many generous donations made that night.

PerhapsI had had a few by now! Standing with my friends Alicia Fox, Kate Walsh and Ali Larter ( have you seen Landman?)

I had no idea back then that this was the first of many more fundraising events that I would host or get involved in . Not always in the garden for several hundred, sometimes a tiny tea party for just a few.

But at some point before, during or after there comes the ASK. ‘Please would you consider donating….’

To begin with I dreaded this part, was it the fear of rejection? No one likes being told NO, especially when you're asking for something you believe is important, was it that I had been brought up never to talk about money, or was it that I felt like I had to sell the cause, prove its worth, justify it, leaving me feeling like both the charity and I were on trial.

But then came a perspective shift, which we all need to remember, when done sincerely, you're not asking for money, you're offering someone a chance to be part of something meaningful, something wonderful.

Our world is shaking from natural disasters and geopolitical turmoil and if we stand in a place of comfort and safety perhaps we should take a little action. Host a cozy breakfast, hold a picnic with a purpose or a closet clean out with proceeds going to your cause. This week I will be in Miami helping to host a trunk show, "I’ll get involved" said Michele "but only if 15% goes towards Make-A-Wish Foundation’” Love you Michele, for leading by example.