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Time to Pay It Forward…

The view from Faith Full View in Coral Bay
The view from Faith Full View in Coral Bay

So it’s been two years. Two years ago today, Hurricane Irma ripped through the island and changed our world in a matter of hours. For the past few weeks, I wondered what I should write today. I honestly wasn’t sure. But then Hurricane Dorian happened, and everything became clear to me.

Like many of you, I’ve been fixated on the storm coverage coming out of the Bahamas. It’s tragic. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s all too familiar for many of us. The stripped trees. The overturned boats. Crumpled roofs strewn about. It’s painful to watch, yet I can’t stop watching.

If you’ve been following News of St. John for some time now, you know how much I love a good raffle. Earlier this year, we raised $123,000 which was distributed to a variety of organizations on the island. Last year, we raised $100,000 for St. John’s nonprofit health center. We’re launching a new raffle today, but this one’s not for us. The people of the Abacos and Grand Bahama have a long road ahead, and they’re going to need our help.

All Hands and Hearts addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. They spent 18 months working on St. John and were instrumental in our recovery. During their time on island, volunteers – dubbed “the purple shirts” – did everything from muck and gutting to mold sanitation and interior rebuilds. And over that 18-month period, they impacted 30 percent of the island’s population. That’s a pretty big deal. All Hands and Hearts is scheduled to head to the Bahamas next week, and they deserve our support. On this anniversary of Hurricane Irma, I’d like to pay it forward.

In doing so, we’re launching a raffle today. There is only one grand prize, and it’s pretty incredible. For just $25, you can enter to win the following…

News of St. John’s Pay It Forward Raffle: One Grand Prize

(The raffle has an estimated value of more than $6,500.)

It’s essentially a complete vacation. How amazing is that??!! I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the businesses that donated. All of the businesses listed above agreed to donate within minutes of me asking. That’s huge. I am so appreciative.

Again, tickets are just $25. There will not be a limit on entries, because we are trying to raise as much money as possible.

To purchase a ticket, please choose the number of tickets below. You can buy up to 10 at a time. Then click the Buy Now button. This will bring you to a secure PayPal page where you can check out. Please make certain the your correct email is used; We plan to notify the winner by email. (All entries will be treated as donations to Bahamas Relief.)

The raffle period has ended. 

All entrants will receive a confirmation email from PayPal after purchasing your ticket/s provided you are a registered PayPal user. Because of the expected high volume of entries, we cannot personally email each entrant. Your email from PayPal will serve as your confirmation of entry into the drawing.

How the drawing works: Once the entry period is over, the raffle committee will personally write/type the names of each entrant on a raffle ticket. If you bought one ticket, we will write/type your name on one ticket. If you bought two tickets, we will write/type your name on two tickets. And so forth. All of the names will be placed into a secure bucket/basket/box. Once all of the names are written on tickets, we will draw the winner live on video. The drawing will be announced on newsofstjohn.com. A video of the drawing will also be posted on newsofstjohn.com The raffle period will end on Friday, September 20, 2019 at 9 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced on newsofstjohn.com on or about September 22, 2019. Now go ahead and enter! Good luck!! And thank you for helping us pay it forward!

Want to bookmark this raffle? You can find it at www.newsofstjohn.com/raffle

The Fine Print: 

  • The winner must adhere to the individual property/business rules and restrictions.
  • The one-week stay at Faith Full View is good for any available dates in 2020 with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. The property has a two person maximum. If Faith Full View requires a deposit, the winner is responsible for paying that fee.
  • The St. John Car Rental Jeep rental is for a four-door Jeep Wrangler and is based on availability. It must be booked online with a valid credit card and driver’s license. A $100 deposit is required to reserve/hold the vehicle. The winner must comply with all terms and conditions. Tax is not included. Proof of insurance is required if declining CDW/LDW. If CDW/LDW is not declined, winner is responsible for that cost. No cash back for any unused portion of the Jeep rental.
  • The three cases of Skurnik Wines can be shipped to the winner in the continental United States or picked up on St. John.
  • In the event that a property/business becomes uninhabitable due to a storm, fire, or Act of God, the winner agrees to forfeit the prize.
  • We strongly encourage the winner to purchase travel insurance.
  • None of the prizes are transferrable without the business owner’s consent.

61 thoughts on “Time to Pay It Forward…”

  6. What a wonderful thing to do for the Bahamas. We were married in the Bahamas in 2008. Been there 5 times, but never to Grand Bahama or Aboco
    Just bought a couple raffle tickets. Hope this is as successful as the raffles for St. John.

    • Thanks Mary. This is the only way we can sell tickets because we transfer the money from the PayPal account directly to All Hands and Hearts. It’s pretty easy to sign up for an account and it’s safe and secure.

    • Mary,

      you don’t have to have a paypal account. Just click on the link at Jenn’s post and enter your credit card etc. info. When it asks you if you want to set up an account, just hit “not now”.

  8. Still hard to believe it’s been 2 years since that fateful day. Glad to see u guys paying it forward & love the chance to win another incredible stay in St. John. Keep up the good work 🙂

  13. Jen, your always the first to report and the first to respond with an amazing idea of ways people can get involved. Thank you.

  18. Like most of did in 2017 watching the the devastation on St. John and all the surrounding islands we just wanted to help. The ACC and the St. John Community Foundation were great options to make sure the donations went to those in need. We’ve never been to the Bahamas but I am sure this fundraiser will do the same good Thank you Jenn!

  20. Wow- what a fantastic idea (and a no brainer!) Thank you so much for organizing this- the devastation in the Bahamas is just heart wrenching. This kind of support and humanity makes the world a better place – great work. Will spread the word!

  22. This is perfect Jenn, thank you for putting it together and thanks to all who donated, to John and Helen Faith of Faith Full View (I have stayed here and it truly is as perfect as it looks) and all the restaurants and businesses. God Bless the Bahamas, my heart breaks for them.

  23. Love this. Thank you all for what you can do. It will take time and prayers but eventually things will get better. My prayers are with you all.

  24. I just read on All Hands and Hearts web site that Norwegian Cruise line is matching donations dollar for dollar until 9/30. With that said, come on people lets make this the most successful raffle yet. The need is HUGE.

  26. This is really something Jenn. Good on you!!

    Don’t know how you might implement this but to create a multiplier effect another organization I donate to gives me the option at the end of the payment process of automatically creating a Facebook post about the donation I just made with a link to the donation page. With such a great cause and raffle package I can envision the proceeds exploding if you were able to find a way to do the same thing.

    In the meantime, I will email the link to friends and add a PS with the link to my weekly IT Leadership e-newsletter to 7800 IT executives around the country.

  31. Done, and Done and more importantly Thank You for doing this! I hope you raise a ridiculous amount of money for those who are in such need! What a wonderful group of people you all are!!

  33. I’ve been thinking about the proper channel to donate. Our first visit to St. John was a year after the hurricane, and we were awed by the strength of its people to come so far in just a year. Now that strength is on loan to the Bahamas. Wonderful! What a fantastic way to mark the 2-year anniversary!

  35. Thanks for doing this Jenn, you are the Best. Been to both St John and Bahamas many many times, We helped out after Irma in St John, and are honored to be able to help out in the Bahamas as well.

    Again, Thank you for giving us an avenue to assist.

    Best
    Joe and Gin

  36. What a great idea, so easy to enter and as others have said you don’t need a paypal account. You can pay as a guest. Looking forward to seeing beautiful St John again in a couple weeks.

  38. Done! Thank you Jenn for doing this!
    It’s hard to believe that it’s been 2 years already.
    How far the Island has come! May this help the people of the Bahamas as much as it did for St. John.

  39. The devastation in Bahamas is crazy. Last month flying over the Bahamas to St. Thomas I was just fixated on how the beauty of those Islands from the air is just breathtaking and never gets old. Hoping that the proximity to Florida is an asset to recovery, but they have a long road ahead. The Virgin Islands recovery should be an example, unfortunately these storms are beginning to become the norm. Let’s face it STJ , 2 years later, just dodged a bullet.

  41. Just read today’s blog and it brought tears to our eyes. We just bought tickets—not to win a prize, but for the ability to help. We come to St John every year, and have visited Marsh Harbor and Green Turtle Cay several times. Thanks a million Jenn for all you do.

  44. This came up on my Google suggested feed – hope it does for others too. My beloved and I are celebrating our #10 in St John in 34 days (not that I’m counting)… in addition to buying some tix, I’ve marked these businesses as ones to support during our stay to say THANK YOU for paying it forward! GREAT idea, Jenn!!

  45. Thankyou for paying.it.forward and helpj.g those in need! I just Purchased 4 raffle tickets and shared your page on Facebook!!! God bless you.

  47. Thank you so much to all of the businesses that are donating for this wonderful cause! What a fabulous idea! Pay it forward!

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  50. Wow ! That is fantastic good idea blessing and heart to heart success. Thank you so much for organizing this work. The devastation in the Bahamas is just heart wrenching. This kind of support and humanity makes the world a better place for everyone on earth – great work. Will spread the word and pay my ! pay it forward.

  53. Nice job Jenn, and hopefully this will make a difference to the many people in the Bahamas who need help rebuilding their lives!

    Love the blog.

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