(FOX 2) – For weeks, Hurricane Melissa has been in the headlines, but now some women named Melissa say the hurricane is having a negative impact on who they are, so they’re working to change the narrative.

You’ve heard the question before: what’s in a name? The name is Melissa, a first name shared by three Metro Detroit women. In fact, the name served as the glue that bonded these Melissas and united them in friendship starting in middle school.

“We kind of got together and said, all right, I’ll be Missy, you be Lissa, she’ll be Melissa. And we actually became quite good friends.”

The name Melissa always served as a heartfelt connection, producing happy thoughts until recently when Hurricane Melissa started making headlines.

So the three friends for life decided to take their power back. The trio brainstormed via text messages.

“I’m thinking, how many Melissas are there in Michigan? And there are over 24,000 Melissas just in Michigan. In the United States, it’s almost over 700,000.”

And just like that, a GoFundMe called Melissas for Hope was born.

“We put together a fundraiser. We can gather some money from other Melissas in the United States and friends and family who know or love Melissa so that we can do some good.”

The money will support charities focused on the rebuilding of Jamaica, a country devastated by the hurricane.

The Melissas hope the initiative will let everyone see the good in their name.

“We each hold within ourselves the ability to do so much good. Sometimes words are just words, but the actions behind who we are and what we do are the things that really make the impact.”