… So, Christal Jackson [the founder of Head and Heart Philanthropy in Oakland, California], who was working with not only Hampton but [also] New Birth church in Atlanta had started the ball rolling to get these students to Hampton. So, we had a call. … We just wanted to be part of helping these students continue their education without so much of a disruption, and we knew that bringing them here would allow that to happen.
Were you present when the students landed in Virginia? If so, what can you say about their reactions?
Unfortunately, we weren’t there. But we’ve seen footage of their faces, and it appeared to be a testament of belief and gratefulness and elation. They just look so happy to know that people who did not know them care enough about them to bring this to fruition.
How does it make you feel to be able to impact so many young people who have gone through such a horrific event as Hurricane Dorian?
There’s always a great feeling when you know you’re having an impact. But I think when you have a natural disaster, quite often the help that you provide is wide scale. It is providing resources, providing relief. It is broad. And so this was really different because it was a targeted group of individuals that we were going to have an impact on. So it made me smile to watch the videos of them getting off the plane.
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We took care of the students that were from the University of the Bahamas, and we’re happy to do that. We really want the whole region to be healthy.
Watch a video below of the Bahamian students arriving at the JetBlue terminal of the Richmond International Airport.
