#team rubicon

Hurricane Melissa has torn through the Caribbean, devastating communities across Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Many people have lost their lives in one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded, with winds reaching 185 mph. Thousands of homes are gone. Critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools and water systems, lie in ruins.

Jamaica, a country The Duke and Duchess hold close to their hearts and last visited in 2024, has been hit especially hard. Towns and villages that are usually vibrant and full of life have been torn apart. Entire neighborhoods remain underwater. More than three-quarters of the island is still without power, and for many families, the question isn’t just about rebuilding -it’s about making it through the day.

But here’s what keeps showing up in every report, every photo, every story coming out of Jamaica: people helping people. Neighbors clearing debris together. Families sharing what little they have. Communities organizing, coordinating, refusing to give up. That’s not just resilience – that’s the power of community in its truest form. When everything else falls apart, that’s what holds.

We’ve been so moved, once again, by the work of World Central Kitchen, whose teams showed up immediately to serve hot meals to thousands of families, and they’re far from alone. Aid workers, first responders, volunteers from organizations large and small – they’ve all dropped everything to help. Their commitment is extraordinary.

These communities need our support now. We’ve donated, and ask you to give whatever support you can, large or small, because every little helps. The links below will take you to trusted organizations working directly on the ground in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. 

Whether you can give financially, donate supplies through NYC drop-off sites, or simply share these resources – it all matters. Thank you.

World Central Kitchen – Providing hot meals to families affected by Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica Relief Fund – Official government relief portal for direct support

Team Rubicon – Deploying volunteer teams for humanitarian aid and disaster response

All Hands and Hearts – Mobilizing volunteers for long-term recovery and rebuilding

Walk Good Jamaica – Grassroots relief efforts supporting local communities

Combat Veteran Prince Harry made a royal visit to Nepal; at the end of the official visit, he remained another week to help Team Rubicon work on Earthquake recovery

The founder of Team Rubicon, also a combat Vet, was also honored with a Pat Tillman award

Since getting off Facebook and Instagram I realized I miss being connected with friends and family. I miss sharing my life with them.

I have been selected to attend the RIVER project through Team Rubicon and I want to document my progress as well as keep friends and family updated.

Last week was spent on figuring out what our Vision is. That took some time to figure out.

For me my vision is be at peace and acts of service. So to turn that into SMART goals for this week:

I will learn how to gain better control of my emotions by the end of this year by writing in my gratitude journal for 10 mins a day to help myself maintain perspective when life feels challenging.

I will promote peace in my life by pin pointing sources of conflict that can be addressed and setting boundaries on what I will and will not tolerate. I will spend 30 mins problem solving each week to ease tensions and cultivate peace and spiritual growth.

I will promote peace by meditating for 10 mins each morning by setting an alarm on my phone. And following the guided meditation.

I will promote peace by taking care of my physical health this year I will be the fittest I have ever been. I will exercise at least 30mins a day for 5 days a week.

We spent the week watching videos and asking ourselves the hard questions. I found it very motivating to set realistic goals and to have a vision.

I spent some time today reflecting on the week. Spent some time organizing my schedule to ensure I book myself time to do those things that will make me achieve my goals. I came up with some solutions to some daily stressors.

The what's for dinner question! My family picked a day and a meal so now we have a weekly meal plan. I hopefully won't get the questions what's for dinner at 9am every day now. So simple. As a mom we have enough on our to do list. Just having to make that decision for everyone everyday was exhausting. I could eat a peanut butter sandwich I don't care lol.

If you give yourself some time to figure out what your stressors are you will come up with some solutions and eliminate that stress from your life. This was an easy fix for us. So now on Saturday's I booked myself some time to sit and brainstorm how to come up with solutions to problems.

What are your goals? Do you have a vision?

Close your eyes and imagine your desired life three years from today. Consider all aspects of your life. I am greatful for today Feb 26 2025 for:

That helped me a lot to set goals and my vision.

Family update - Brian is back from Ottawa! We missed him and he is glad to be back.

Alisha's birthday is coming up and she's pretty excited to have all her friends over. Alisha had 4 snow days and a family day thrown in this past week. She had a blast.

Gus got a new harness and he isn't impressed. But adorable.

I don't miss social media. I kept getting caught up with people's opinions. No one cares. I miss the pictures and connection but feel free to reach out to me via text or email [email protected]. I won't be back on Instagram and Facebook. I will use this platform to share our journey. Let's do lunch! Or come over for a fire. 😊

My friend was supposed to come home from Ukraine on the 23rd but tested positive for covid so couldn't fly home. Now he is trying to get to Poland. Pretty scary what is happening in the world right now. Update he's on a train.

Until next week 😊

The Invisible Recovery

In the wake of disaster, recovery must take many forms. There’s the physical recovery we can see in pictures and on the evening news – the clearing away of debris, the setting of broken bones, the rebuilding of homes and businesses. But the invisible recovery of mental and emotional healing is every bit as vital, even if it’s slower to come and harder to see.

On Sunday, I had the tremendous honor of volunteering alongside Team Rubicon in Houston, Texas. The organization’s model allows veterans to leverage their unique skills and experiences to support relief efforts and, in the process, regain their sense of purpose, community, and identity as they navigate the often difficult transition to civilian life. I’ve experienced the power of being kind as a tool for healing in my own life, and I was so thankful to be able to join these brave men and women for a few hours.

Along with my mom and several members of my team, we spent Sunday afternoon tearing out badly damaged flooring and ripping down rotting sheet rock in the home of an incredible strong and brave woman named Pamela.

Pamela has been coping not only with the physical challenges of living alone in a house badly damaged by Hurricane Harvey but with the stress and emotional strain of that situation – of seeing every day the destruction of the place that should be her refuge and of the worry that comes from not knowing when or how the damage will be repaired.

There are millions of Pamelas who still need our support.

While our national attention may have begun to drift, many of those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria have not been able to move on so easily or so quickly. Such destruction doesn’t care about our ideological differences and tragedy spares no one. So our response must be just as fierce, sustained, and all encompassing. We must help survivors not only rebuild their homes and communities but cope with the psychological trauma of these devastating events.

That’s why I have donated $1 million to support the mental and emotional recovery of survivors of these storms as well as the two earthquakes in Mexico. I donated the funds to Save the Children, Volunteer Florida, Rebuild TX and the Greater Houston Community Foundation and Team Rubicon – and I hope you’ll join me in supporting these phenomenal organizations. Click on the links below to get started.

Save the Children’s incredible Journey of Hope program helps children build resiliency skills and overcome the ordeal they have endured.

One America Appeal worked with us to create a fund to help grassroots organizations in Texas and Florida provide mental health care to survivors at three organizations; Volunteer Florida, Rebuild TX and Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Team Rubicon brings together military veterans with first responders, deploying emergency response teams to disaster areas.

Trauma and pain may be great equalizers, but so is kindness. We can all do something, whether it’s donating money, donating supplies, or donating our time. I hope every single person who can (and you can all do more than you think!) will join me in helping these beautiful, vibrant communities recover and rebuild.