Hurricane Beryl, a category 4 hurricane that struck Jamaica in early July, killed at least 22 people, destroyed houses and triggered power outages. Russhane Dawkins, a 10-year Oak Park resident and lead brewer at Kinslahger Brewing Company, is experiencing such damage first-hand.
Dawkins’ family lives in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, an area that experienced a bulk of the hurricane’s aggression.
“[They] lost the roof of their house and a lot of belongings, furniture,” he said. “Everything you could possibly think of [got damaged].”
He also noted that once their roof was damaged his family’s house was unable to provide sufficient protection. As a result, they temporarily relocated to a neighbor’s house during the storm.
“[They are] currently staying in the room that has the most shelter and are basically toughing it out until they can get to the repairs, [with] no electricity,” Dawkins said.
His family said they are also hearing that it could be “up to a month” until they regain power. Even the surrounding towns that have power do not “have their full power capability.”
As a result, his family is left without the proper resources to rebuild their house and resume their normal lifestyles. While local assistance is providing minimal help, his family continues to endure less-than-ideal circumstances.
But their suffering does not need to be a long-term affair.
The brewery’s owner, Keith Huizinga, organized a crowdsourced funding-campaign for Dawkins’ family on behalf of Kinslahger Brewery in Oak Park in light of this situation and their positive, personal connection with Dawkins.
“We are asking you to help our lead brewer and one of the best humans we know,” they wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Huizinga met Dawkins in 2014 at the permanently closed Kinderhook Tap. Dawkins was an employee at the establishment with an attitude to which Huizinga, and his partner, were immediately “gravitated.”
“We first met Russhane when he was working there, we were just really impressed with his attitude,” Huizinga said.
Their camaraderie resulted in Dawkins becoming an assistant brewer at Kinslahger, and they have been business partners ever since.
Now, Dawkins is the lead brewer, and a former electrician at Oak Electric. He has worked as an electrician since living in Jamaica, before arriving in the United States. Roughly five years ago, Dawkins received his U.S. citizenship.
“He’s just a great person and you’re glad that you know him,” Huizinga said. “While all of the people that know Kinslahger know Russhane, I know there is a broader community in Oak Park that may not know Russhane and his relationship with the community. We hope they’ll contribute.”
Huizinga said that Dawkins’ family is fending for themselves.
“People are on their own to try to figure this out,” he said. “It’s all the families in this area that are struggling with the same things that Russhane’s family is struggling with.”
This is not a situation, he added, where surrounding households in Treasure Beach can pool their money to fix Dawkins’ family’s house. They are relying on outside help.
“A few bucks here and there would help us reach our goal,” Dawkins said.
For more information, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/kinslahger-brewers-family-needs-help?attribution_id=sl:90870313-9c6c-4790-9fd1-0f5649656740&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
Correction: July 23, 2024, 7:23 p.m.: The article has been updated to correct the name of Russhane Dawkins, and to update his employers. He is a former electrician for Oak Electric. We apologize for the errors.