Phoenix Suns’ center Deandre Ayton donates bus load of money and supplies to Bahamas relief
In the aftermath of hurricane Dorian, Phoenix Suns center, Deandre Ayton, donated $100,000 and led a supply drive to help support the relief effort in the Bahamas, the country where he was born and raised.
Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton is much more generous than you and me.
After Category-5 hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas last week causing unimaginable damage, the big man pledged $100,000 of his own money to help fund relief efforts to his home country.
When I was 21-years-old, the only foundations that received my fiscal benefaction were the local college bars.
Ayton at 21 however, is mature beyond his years. After seeing images of the trees he used to climb as a youngster blown down and his friend’s houses demolished, he felt he had to step up.
On top of his generous financial contribution, Ayton held a huge drive on Tuesday at a local Fry’s grocery store, where Phoenicians filled up carts like 10-year-olds on a Toys-R-Us shopping spree, all to be donated to Bahamians affected by the hurricane.
Deandre was happy to trade out his time, taking pictures and signing autographs with fans who showed up.
Fellow Suns Cam Johnson, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque also pitched in to help.
By the end of the night, the drive collected enough donations to fill up a Valley Metro bus.
Dorian hit Grand Bahama Island and the Abaco Islands the hardest, with a death toll up to 50 and climbing.
While Ayton was born in nearby Nassau, which didn’t experience nearly the same physical devastation, the small capital is now being overrun with evacuees and its infrastructure is not prepared for the influx of humanity.
This is just the start of what Bahamas Prime Minister, Hubert Minnis, called, “generational devastation.”
To put it mildly, that sucks.
Fellow NBA star and Bahamas native, Buddy Hield, is also leading the relief effort.
The Sacramento King matched Ayton’s $100,000 donation and set up a GoFundMe page to raise additional money.
Most post-traumatic event fundraisers like these lose steam after the news cycle moves on to the next big headline, so it is vitally important for UNICEF to capture all they can now, before the attention surrounding the storm fades.
The Phoenix Suns have made it easy for you to join the cause and donate to UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts by providing a link from their official website: suns.com/relief.
Deandre Ayton told the Atlantic, “Bahamian people are good to people.” Be good to them back.