Theodore Young, from Pittsburgh, USA, (Left in photo) who is also a second home owner in Eleuthera Island Shores, and John Norris Carey, principal at Carey’s Construction based in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera, forged a friendship over the course of almost 40 years.
On December 9th, 2019, Theodore, during one of his trips to the island, presented John with approximately 55 cheques of varying amounts – totalling $13,000 – all made out to The Bahamas Red Cross, to assist with hurricane relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which ravaged the northern Bahamas early in September.
John, as he accepted the cheques from Theodore, gave a bit of the back-story behind their efforts, saying, “I’ve known Ted for thirty something years, and I do work for him, take care of his place, and take care of him as well, and do the best I can. Since this hurricane came, as well as past hurricanes, Ted would raise some money, and we would buy materials for victims who lost their homes or received damage.
“This time, I told him to try a little something different, and he was going to aim for $5,000. But, I said, no, let’s do a little better. So, we got it to $10,000, and now its at $13,000 in cheque donations. And who knows, during the next trip when he comes down again, it may be a bit more.
“I figured that if we give it to the Red Cross, the Red Cross helps in the aftermath of hurricanes, and this is a time when help is needed now. Not tomorrow! So, this should go a long way with what they do… I thought the best thing to do, was to put it in their hands. The Red Cross also helps all year-round as well.”
Theodore, sharing, a bit about his history with the island, described, “I came to Eleuthera about 39 years ago. Met John a year or so later. I have a home in Eleuthera Island Shores, and we hook up everytime I’m down here, and I’m down five or six times a year. After the Hurricane, I called John, and asked him what I could do, and he said to get some money for the Bahamas Red Cross. So, that’s what we’ve done. For hurricane relief.”
The donations collected, said Theodore were given by other second home owners, and people who had come down with him to Eleuthera over the years, as well as business associates, and friends – some from as far as California – he added.
