Dear Travelers Family,
It has been an uneven road in the weeks following the storm. Still, we continue to count our blessings, many of which have come from the generosity of our guests at Travelers Beach Resort and kind strangers who answered our call to help rebuild the homes of our team members.
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We are deeply grateful for every contribution. Through this effort, we raised a total of USD $81,535, far exceeding what we initially imagined possible.
At the outset, our only priority was to locate our staff and ensure that they and their families were safe. We had no clear picture of the damage we would find. Our Head of Maintenance, Jason Davis, and I spent day after day traveling throughout the community, accounting for each team member and assessing the impact on their homes. From there, we created a master list and identified immediate and longer-term needs.
We began by addressing the most urgent and manageable repairs, homes that required a few sheets of zinc or lumber to make critical roof repairs that our small engineering team could complete quickly. We did not initially plan to ask for donations. We simply began the work. It was my brother, Winthrope, who encouraged us to seek additional support so we could move beyond targeted fixes and provide comprehensive repairs for all of our team members.
Throughout the repair process, Travelers Beach Resort continued to cover all labor and transportation costs, allowing donated funds to be directed entirely toward materials and direct assistance for our team members, without administrative deductions.
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity we received, we are pleased to report that we raised more than enough to fully support every affected team member. Below is a summary of how the funds were used in conjunction with our internal efforts:
• Roof materials and completed repairs for 7 team members
• Building materials provided and transported to 11 additional team members
• Two homes built from the ground up, with donated funds covering materials
• Post-hurricane expense reimbursements for all 87 team members
We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Jason Davis, our Head of Maintenance, and Ralph Watson, our long-time contractor. Together, they served as the primary engineers behind this effort, working tirelessly to coordinate repairs, manage logistics, and ensure that every project was completed to a proper standard. Their leadership, skill, and commitment were instrumental in turning generosity into real and lasting results.
From the outset, we also put a plan in place to responsibly distribute any funds raised beyond our immediate needs to an organization doing similar work, either repairing homes or supplying building materials. The Negril Rotary Club was a natural choice. We share a long-standing and trusted relationship with the Rotary. Our father and founder of Travelers Beach Resort, Mr. Winston Wellington, was an active Rotarian for many years, and that legacy of service continues to guide our partnership.
Following Hurricane Beryl in 2024, the Negril Rotary Club dedicated a significant portion of its sponsored funds to supplying building materials for persons with damaged homes. They developed an effective and transparent system to identify candidates, assess needs, procure materials, and verify that those materials were used as intended. This system was easily reactivated following Hurricane Melissa, giving us complete confidence in their continued efforts.
In keeping with this plan, we were able to transfer USD $25,000 to the Negril Rotary Club to support their ongoing recovery work within the wider community.
To everyone who donated, shared our story, or held our team in your thoughts – thank you. Your generosity helped restore homes and bring stability to many lives. We will always remember the kindness shown to our Travelers family and our wider community.
As Negril and the island continue to recover, Jamaica remains open, resilient, and full of life. For those who wish to continue supporting recovery efforts, we encourage you to follow and support organizations doing meaningful work on the ground, including the Negril Rotary Club. Another meaningful way to support our people is simply to keep coming and enjoying the island, supporting local businesses, and sharing in the everyday rhythms of community life.
We look forward to staying connected and to crossing paths with many of you again here in Jamaica.
With sincere gratitude,
Wingate Wellington
Managing Director
Travellers Beach Resort
