Support Florida Rugby Players After Hurricane

Dear Rugby Community and Friends,

We are reaching out to you today with heavy hearts and a call for support. As you may know, a hurricane has devastated our region, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Among those affected are many of our beloved Florida rugby players and their families. We ask that in the true spirit of rugby camaraderie, you assist the Florida Rugby Family.

## The Impact

- Homes destroyed or severely damaged

- Training facilities rendered unusable

- Loss of personal belongings and equipment

- Disruption to work and daily life

Many Florida players are facing significant challenges in rebuilding their lives and continuing their passion for rugby.

## How You Can Help

We are launching an emergency fundraising campaign to support our affected rugby community. Your contributions will be spent directly to help players and staff with the following:

1. Temporary housing assistance

2. Clean-up and restoration costs

3. Food and other emergency supplies

4. Providing essential support to players and their families

These contributions will be distributed to the players directly where available or to the affected rugby clubs (each are 503c organizations), to be distributed to their players and staff.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in the lives of our rugby family.

## Spread the Word

Who Am I?

My name is William Howell, and I am one of the coaches for the Bay Area Pelicans in St. Petersburg, FL. My relationship to the players is direct in that all players receiving funds from this campaign either play directly on the club I coach so I personally know them, or play for clubs that our team has a direct relationship with and therefore have met or worked with their teams.

Where am I From?

St. Petersburg, FL

My Relationship to the Parties we are fundraising for?

All recipients of this campaign are rugby players and coaches that I have worked with and know personally or professionally through the rugby community.

How will the funds be spent?

These funds will be provided directly to the teams with affected players. Each team has been notified and a list of players requiring assistance has been solicited. The funds will be divided among all players identified (100% of funds will go to players and/or coaches in need). If the team is a 503c charity organization once the total amount of the campaign has been finalized and percentages calculated (based on type of assistance needed and number of requests per club) the funds for that team will be provided from the Bay Area Pelicans 503c directly to the clubs for distribution to their players with an audit performed post dispersal. If the requesting club is not a 503c, the players will be contacted directly and their share will be distributed directly to them via the Bay Area Pelicans.

The final distribution methods have been organized and approved here internally. As the organizer I will be withdrawing the funds from the fundraiser and then immediately depositing them into a Charity PayPal Account already created for this purpose. Any questions or concerns can be addressed to me and I will provide all documentation regarding the transfer of funds for people who have made donations.

We will create a % based allocation based on the following 4 types of assistance which is proportional to the number of players and supporters who have requested and validated a need.

These %'s of the total raised will come to as close to 100% as reasonable math allows with any remaining fractions donated to another Hurricane Relief effort to raise the total to 100% of funds raised dispersed to hurricane relief.

We expect all distributions to be completed by November 15th. Any delay or changes to that distribution date will be sent via update to the campaign.

Types of Assistance that will be provided

Please share this appeal with your networks, fellow rugby enthusiasts, and anyone who might be able to help. Together, we can show the true spirit of rugby, supporting each other on and off the field.

Thank you for your generosity and support during this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Bay Area Pelicans

#RugbyStrong #HurricaneHeleneRelief #WeSoarTogether