HELPING AT HOME
Jays prospect Chavez Young goes online to raise funds to help the recovery from Hurricane Dorian in his native Bahamas,
Blue Jays prospect Chavez Young was safe and sound in Tampa, Fla., as Hurricane Dorian spent a day and a half ravaging his native Bahamas.
His personal security was of little comfort as the storm pounded Abaco and Grand Bahama islands with Category 5 winds up to 295 kilometres per hour and torrential rains, swamping neighbourhoods in brown floodwaters and destroying or severely damaging, by one estimate, nearly half the homes on the country’s two northernmost islands, otherwise known for their marinas, golf courses and all-inclusive resorts.
Young’s heart was in Freeport, his hometown and the largest city on Grand Bahama, where his older brothers Clayton and Corey Young had to evacuate immediately, their house flooded, roof leaking, trees and fences down in the yard.
“It hurts me that I’m sleeping comfortable here in America, having a good, normal, nice life and then my brothers, who are in the Bahamas, suffered ... Had to find shelter right away, just to stay alive,” the 22-year-old outfielder told the Star over the phone from Florida on Thursday night. “Didn’t care about the house, just trying to stay alive, basically. That hurts me. I barely could sleep. Family’s all I got.”
That is a lesson Young was harshly reminded of this year. His paternal grandmother, Nelly, died this past April, during the first month of his fourth professional season, spent representing the Dunedin Blue Jays in the high class-A Florida State League. It was about a week later that Young’s mother, Marinetta, died in her sleep, nearly 10 years after a stroke that had left her paralyzed and bedridden.
“To have the hurricane hit, it was like the last strike, like ‘I got to do something,’ ” said Young, who first learned the storm could hit the Bahamas in late August, days before the Florida State League and the Gulf Coast League cancelled its final regular-season games as well as the post-season as the state prepared for the impact of Dorian.
In an effort to do what he could from afar, Toronto’s No. 21 prospect launched an online campaignon Thursday through CrowdRise, a for-profit crowdfunding platform by GoFundMe that raises charitable donations. A heartbroken Chavez, who knows the extent of the damage in his hometown and the surrounding areas is still being assessed but can already see that the community has years of rebuilding hardship ahead of it, set a goal of $10,000 (U.S.). Proceeds will go to the Salvation Army World Service and directly benefit the Bahamas.
He had raised $8,150 by Friday evening — and doubled his goal to $20,000 — thanks to the generosity of 65 people, including $500 from former Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez, $300 from top pitching prospect Nate Pearson, $500 from the Dunedin Blue Jays organization and another $500 from Mariana Bichette, mother of Jays shortstop Bo Bichette. Young lived with the Bichette family in Florida over the course of the season and will remain with the family after plans to go back to the Bahamas the day after the season ended were scrapped because of the hurricane.
Young has heard from just about every Dunedin player and the campaign has gained momentum on social media thanks to shares from fellow players in the organization, Bichette among them.
While Jays prospects are among the best paid minorleague players after the organization announced a 50-percent raise for the young men in the team’s system this past March, salaries are hardly lucrative. Players are only compensated during the season and many struggle to afford meals, rent and basic equipment such as cleats and bats.
Young, who signed with the Jays for $200,000 as a 39thround pick in 2016, considers himself lucky to have the backing of his club and the Bichette family, as well as the platform to make a difference. But he needs and appreciates the outside support. Any donation will help his native Bahamas, said Young, who has previously given back to Freeport by running a baseball camp for Bahamian kids in the off-season.
“If (the campaign) goes over the goal or goes under the goal, whatever it is,” he said. “At this point, a dollar helps. A quarter helps. Anything can help, basically. It doesn’t matter if it’s a million dollars or just one dollar, trust me. That can help.”
He is already feeling the love from Jays fans north of the border, too.
“It’s just a blessing to be a part of a Canadian family,” he said. “The vibe there is different. You all care. Everybody is one family and I appreciate that.”
Young hopes to make it back to the Bahamas soon, likely by ferry or cruise ship as crews in Grand Bahama continue to work to reopen the airport.
His family remains in Bahamas, with a third brother, Christian, also out of harm’s way in the capital of Nassau. The death toll had risen to 30 on Thursday, but the number could be “significantly higher,” Bahamian health minister Duane Sands told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday night. The victims are from Abaco and Grand Bahama islands.