TORONTO — Travel Agents Care has issued an open call to the travel industry to help raise funds to help families in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The organization, which was founded by five Canadian travel agents in 2017 to help Dominica following Hurricane Maria, has partnered with Global Medic, an Etobicoke-based organization that provides emergency relief to those affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies.

In 2017, the group raised over $35,000 to provide clean water for families in Dominica. According to Karen Gill, one of the founders of group’s founders, $50 provides a family of five with clean water for up to six months using kits that turn dirty water into drinking water.

“With the horrible situation in the Bahamas, we reached out to the director of Global Medic and said we can do a campaign to get more water kits to the Bahamas,” said Gill. “The weeks after a hurricane are critical, the longer people are without clean water, the faster they will become ill and potentially die.”

Travel Agents Care has set an initial target of $5,000, which would result in 100 water filtration kits.

“We believe that we will exceed that and ultimately we are hoping to reach $10,000 for 200 water filtration kits,” added Gill. “These kits are used in local hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, schools and family homes or temporary living camps.”

Travel industry members are encouraged to donate by liking the Travel Agents Care Facebook Page where the donation link is posted. Alternatively, donations can be made via www.travelagentscare.ca.

All travel agents are welcome to join the group’s founders (Gill, Marie Odorizzi, Sharon Loppie, Ian Elliott and Pat Probert) and take part in fundraising, assisting with loading containers and helping with local initiatives, regardless of their agency affiliations.