FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, October 17, 2019 – The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation has pledged $75,000 to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which caused massive damage in Grand Bahama and Abaco, two northern Bahamian islands, during the first week of September.
This was confirmed by Carmel Churchill, who lives in Grand Bahama, in a post on her Facebook page of a photo of her and her husband Don Churchill with Steve Harvey taken last weekend in Cancun, Mexico. The photo was accompanied by the following caption: “In absolute awe of the generous donation we received this past weekend from Steve Harvey and Marjorie Harvey. The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation has pledged $75,000 to the Children’s Home on Grand Bahama Island 🙏🏾 We cannot thank you enough! GrandBahamaStrong.”
Contacted for further information, Carmel Churchill stated: “Due to a past relationship developed since 2014 with the Executive Director of The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, Sharon Page learnt of the devastation that occurred on Grand Bahama Island and reached out to see how they can help us. This led us to introducing Sheila Smith and the Grand Bahama Children’s Home.
“Ms. Page decided to come and see first-hand the level of devastation and made a visit to the Ranfurly Home in Nassau enroute to visit the Grand Bahama children that were evacuated in the middle of the storm from the home in Freeport due to flooding.
“Steve Harvey was in his second year of hosting Sand & Soul weekend (October 10 – 14). This year’s event was hosted in Cancun, Mexico, where a segment of the weekend was set aside to celebrate Non-Profit Leaders. Invitations were extended to Sheila Smith, Bishop Godfrey Williams and my husband and I, as we are in the process of setting up a foundation: Help Us Help Ourselves.”
Carmel noted that the photo she posted “was captured prior to Steve Harvey teeing off for a game of golf and after a brief conversation with us, he expressed his interest in wanting to help the Bahamas, by visiting the Bahamas Post Dorian.”
“He shed some preliminary details of his plans to host an event in The Bahamas, in which we gladly committed to making the necessary connections towards making it a reality,” Carmel Churchill said. “During the final evening of the event, Sheila Smith was awarded the Harveys 2019 Hero of the Year award for her years of service with the Grand Bahama Children’s Home.”
Carmelm added: “Steve & Marjorie made a commitment to personally pledge $25,000 towards getting the Children back in their beds by Christmas. The Steve & Marjorie Foundation further assisted in raising an additional $50,000 as well as a text-to-donate drive. At the end of the evening $75,000 was pledged to the Grand Bahama Children’s home.”
Don and Carmel Churchill are owners of Doncar Management Services and Founders of Help Us Help Ourselves Foundation.
