Alumnae of Omega Phi Beta Come Together for Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief
In the wake of several natural disasters hitting the United States, Alumnae Sisters of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated (OPBSI) have come together to help and uplift our communities! Working with grassroots organizations and creating a network of communication through social media and peers our alumnae have been ensuring that money raised and supplies received are getting directly to the people and communities that need them most in Puerto Rico.
Recent articles have shown that the Puerto Rican diaspora living in the continental United States has been instrumental in helping lift up its people and in staying connected to one another by circulating news about the status and conditions of friends and family. While there are many Alumnae within Omega Phi Beta part of that diaspora, the group that has organized together and donated goods and funds stretches far beyond those with connections to Puerto Rico. This is a humanitarian crisis and as an organization that works to empower its members and communities it is our duty to respond to the needs of our people.
“We’ve always been very resourceful women but what this has shown me is that our sisters have huge hearts and will do whatever it takes to see their communities rise up again and recover from these natural disasters.” – Elizaveta Reyes, National President
In just a short three weeks since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on September 20th the group of Alumnae have raised over $7,000 and gathered more than 20 boxes, some of which have already made their way to the island, thanks to their partnership with El Maestro, an organization based in the Bronx, New York focused on preserving the cultural identity and history of the Puerto Rican community. They have even been recently named as an organization that can be trusted in Hurricane Relief Efforts. The Alumnae have launched Amazon lists detailing much needed supplies and a GoFundMe page for monetary donations. Additionally they held a Happy Hour fundraiser in New York City on Friday, October 6th. The great response from fellow Sisters, family members, friends, and even co-workers has been very inspiring during a time that for many of our members has been quite personal and emotional to say the least. However given the news about rebuilding infrastructure on the Island it is clear that we will have to continue to support each other for some time to come.
Currently our Alumnae are still collecting donations and goods through two links and we encourage anyone and everyone to chip in and help our fellow citizens, brothers and sisters recover.
- To donate money which will be used to send shipments, buy additional goods, and necessary items such as generators please donate to: https://tinyurl.com/MariaPRRelief
- To purchase supplies directly and have them shipped to one of our coordinators visit the Amazon Wish List at: https://tinyurl.com/MariaWishListPR
If you reside in the tri-state area and you’ve collected goods and wish to donate them, contact Relief@OmegaPhiBeta.org to coordinate a drop-off or pick-up.
