Live 2 Give is not only serving in Jamaica, Live 2 Give is also in Brevard County. The foundation works with The Master’s Workshop, with at-risk children. Volunteers read with the children and become mentors for them. L2G also works locally with the Salvation Army, offering a homeless ministry at Easter to hand out Easter baskets to the homeless with hygiene items and socks.
For more information visit: Live2Givefamily.org
About ten years ago, Jeremy Dragon and his family, like many others here, planned a vacation cruise to Jamaica with another family. “When we were booking the cruise, the woman booking us said, ‘I have a cousin who lives in Ocho Rios where you’re going. She has a bed and breakfast and runs a ministry called Bread Basket Ministries.’ We all agreed to go meet her instead of doing the normal touristy stuff.”
In preparation for what was now to be a mission trip, Dragon overpacked with supplies. “Our suitcases weighed 80 pounds each. There is no weight limit on baggage on a cruise ship. We got stopped at customs, and for a moment thought we might get detained. But we were finally released, and drove to meet this little woman, born and raised in Jamaica, named Elise. Half of us jumped in one car and half of us jumped up in the other car and I remember thinking, ‘God, what are we doing?’”
On that first trip, they painted a house and handed out supplies. Since then, every trip has been a mission trip. When Dragon returned excited, he shared the experience with the staff at Five Star Claims Adjusting, who said, “Jeremy, we want you to start a foundation.” Dragon says, “I didn’t know a thing about starting a foundation — I was still working at The Melting Pot, but we’d just made this amazing mission trip and it was all I wanted to do. So, I went to my accountant, Rhonda Hines, and she printed off a packet about an inch thick, said to fill it out and bring it back to her. She took care of the rest for free, and ‘Live 2 Give’ was created.”
Since then, Five Star has supported every mission trip. In ten years, Dragon says that is about twelve trips during which they have either built or assisted in building eight houses.
“This last trip, we built two houses. We take families from this area — mothers, husbands and children –because I think it is important for the family to go together. At most churches, adults can go on mission trips and kids can go on mission trips, but there was nothing for the whole family. Our missions are meant for the entire family to stay together. I want to teach my children these lessons. My daughters get to see dad working and serving, it is not, ‘do as I say,’ it is ‘do as I do.’”
Dragon shared stories of getting tools and supplies through customs, and then described a trip. “Once we get through customs, we rent two 12-passenger buses; Lexus of Melbourne sometimes sponsors the buses for us, which is great. We take the buses to The Blue House, which Elise owns. It is her bed and breakfast, and she uses that money to support her ministry, Bread Basket Ministries. Just like that, we start building houses. Some of the men build the houses, while the women and kids hold a Vacation Bible School-like session with crafts for the children in the area. We hire local workers, because we don’t want to just come in and build a house and leave, we want the community involved. We buy all our supplies locally in Jamaica, so the economy in the area we’re in also benefits. We even buy all of our lunches from different restaurants in the area just to support that local area any way we can.
“Elise is our boots on the ground in Jamaica. She already has the houses picked out. We send down money in the beginning to get the foundation done, then we get the bathrooms and the kitchens done and the block structure. Each house is built with a concrete block safe spot to go to if there’s a hurricane. Usually by mid-week, we have a community gathering. We bring a projector, put up a screen and show a movie while we feed the whole area. I think this last trip, we fed 120-130 people.”
A majority of the funding does come directly from Five Star Claims Adjusting, but there are fundraisers. Dragon says, “We have a network, since we’ve been doing this for ten years. We have our own foundation; a lot of people donate on a regular basis. He continued: “It would be nice to have funding be more consistent, so we can plan better, but it all falls into place. There are no coincidences with Christ. It is all in His timing.
“God calls different people to different areas,” Dragon says. “He sent me to Jamaica, and ever since then, every trip has just been better and better. Even this last trip, we built two houses in eight days. It brings you back to the important things of life. That is learning the meaning of the name, Live 2 Give. It is learning to Live 2 Give back, and that’s what life is really about.”
Why Five Star Claims Adjusting?
As Jeremy Dragon does great work with the Live2Give Foundation, he also helps the Brevard community in his new 9-5 too. He has now joined the team at Five Star Claims Adjusting as a Public Adjuster and helps the community in a different way with his main goal of being in Jamaica full time within 5 years. Jeremy and the team at Five Star know one of the most stressful aspects of a hurricane is the damage it leaves behind. When it comes to calling your insurance companies in the aftermath, it can be difficult to know how to handle the situation you’ve been put in. The team at Five Star Claims Adjusting can help navigate you through the process and get the maximum amount owed to you whether it is a residential or commercial claim. They are a team of public insurance claim adjusters who work across Florida and advocate for residential and commercial policyholders in negotiating an insurance claim. They make sure that your claim is settled quickly and fairly, and at no out-of-pocket cost to you. As one of the largest public adjuster firms in Florida, Five Star Claims Adjusting has handled over 20,000 insurance claims in Florida, recovering over $400 million in insurance proceeds on behalf of their clients. Bonded, insured, and licensed through the Florida Department of Financial Services, they truly level the playing field and maximize the benefits under your insurance policy. “We represent you, the policyholder, and not the insurance company. Insurance companies have adjusters working for them, so why not have one working for you?” As everyone knows, the insurance claim process can be complicated, and it is vital that your claim is presented correctly to the insurance company the first time. Even seemingly small issues can turn into much bigger issues down the road such as mold or more extensive damage. Property damage will not fix itself.
Two Reasons to Hire Five Star Claims Adjusting: First, handling your own claim without a public adjuster is like going to court without an attorney. You could do it, but without knowledge of the rules and procedures, you might be at a sizable disadvantage. Second, according to a study by the Office Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), policyholders with public adjuster representation lead to higher average payments, sometimes considerably higher. The study shows that settlements are 747% higher when a public adjuster was involved.
http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/monitordocs/reports/pdf/1006rpt.pdf
FIVE STAR Claims Adjusting
4450 W Eau Gallie Blvd., Ste 120
Melbourne, FL 32934
(321) 701.1371 | AskAnAdjuster.com