Miami Dolphins Bring Relief to Grand Bahama Island

On Thursday, October 27th, 2016, a delegation from the Miami Dolphins, including President and CEO Tom Garfinkel, Senior Vice Presidents Nat Moore and Jason Jenkins, and Player Michael Thomas, flew in to Grand Bahama to bring relief items to the storm stricken communities of Pinder's Point, Eight Mile Rock and West End.

Joining the delegation was a team from the Ministry of Tourism led by the Permanent Secretary, Harrison Thompson; Director for Grand Bahama Island, Betty Bethel and other local government representatives.

The day began with a tour of the city, including the Port Lucaya Marketplace, the island’s tourism hub, William’s Town and Russell Town and then on to the western communities of Grand Bahama.

Harrison Thompson, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Government of The Bahamas and the Minister of Tourism for the delegation’s visit to the island.

He said that, “The storm has given us an opportunity to rebrand and with the help of partners like the Miami Dolphins, who understand and have seen what has taken place, we are able to work together to restore these communities”.

With the close-knitted relationship between the team and The Bahamas in mind, Tom Garfinkel, President and CEO of the Miami Dolphins, shared that, “We wanted to reach out and do everything we could to help”.

He said that a highlight for himself was the incredible spirit of the Bahamian people in light of everything that has happened.

He said, “People are just friendly, resilient and appreciative”.

Michael Thomas, football safety for the Miami Dolphins, who traveled along with his wife during the team’s bye week was proud to be a part of the relief initiative.

In spite of the devastation that the team was able to see first-hand, Thomas said, “It is great to see how most people are smiling and are welcoming to us”.

Nat Moore, Senior Vice President of Special Projects and Alumni Relations said that, “This is an opportunity for us to go around and get a better idea of what is needed and identify how we can help”.

He said, “The Bahamas has always been a friend of the Miami Dolphins and the Dolphins has been the Bahamas’ team for over 50 years”.

He added that, “We treat The Bahamas the way we would want to be treated if something were to happen to us”.

The day ended with a visit to the Grand Bahama Children's Home.

As the official government agency responsible for relief efforts, NEMA will assist the team in the distribution of roofing and building supplies, along with generators, to rebuild storm stricken communities.

The Miami Dolphins continued their relief efforts on Friday with a visit to the nation of Haiti.