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We are delivering $50,000 in urgent relief to families devastated by Hurricane Ian

By Together Rising | September 28, 2022

We are delivering urgent relief to families devastated by Hurricane Ian’s historic, catastrophic wreckage. JOIN US at TogetherRising.org/Give.

An initial $50,000 deployment is on its way right now to our partner activated on the ground, the Black-and-trans-led, deeply embedded Smile Trust.

Co-founded and led by the indomitable Valencia Gunder and Brayland Brown, the Smile Trust team has extensive experience meeting the most urgent needs of families in the tumultuous aftermath of hurricanes, including Hurricane Dorian, during which they deployed more than 6,000 pounds of urgently needed supplies within a week.

Image description: The graphic has a dark blue background. The heading is in red text and says, “We are delivering $50,000 in urgent relief to families devastated by Hurricane Ian.” Below that text is white text that reads, “—which is on its way right now to our Black-and-trans-led, deeply embedded partner providing emergency water, food, tents, and more critical essentials to the most vulnerable.” Under that is yellow text that reads, “JOIN US at TogetherRising.org/Give.” The one-line Together Rising logo is centered at the bottom.

Now Valencia, Brayland, and their team are the ones in the eye of the storm. With the category 4 hurricane hitting landfall in Florida, the storm’s 155 MPH maximum sustained winds along with the largest storm surge measured in Naples in the last 50 years has already caused catastrophic damage to even the strongest of homes and buildings.

We stand with Valencia, Brayland, their team, and all families throughout Florida and other devastated areas. We will continue to stand with them through what we know will be a long road of grief, recovery, and rebuilding.

You can help us amplify our response by donating $5, $10, or whatever you can at TogetherRising.org/Give.

Every penny received will go directly to urgently needed relief for families and children in crisis amid Hurricane Ian’s wreckage.

We are deeply grateful for the trust you place in us. As always, we will come back to you to report how every single penny was invested.

Posted in Blog Posts