Hedge Funds Care Cayman will be hosting its second annual black tie dinner, Open Your Heart to the Children Benefit, at the Ritz-Carlton on 16 November.
HFCC is devoted to raising funds for the prevention of child abuse and associated treatment initiatives in Cayman.
Guests will be entertained with a colourful performance by modern circus artists Cirque Le Masque, involving acrobatic dancing and special effects.
Other highlights include a champagne reception sponsored by Jacques Scott, cocktails, dinner and dancing, and a silent and live auction featuring such items as sports memorabilia, dream get-away packages and jewelry.
Last November, the inaugural benefit dinner raised a net total of US$143,000 for the Cayman charity.
These funds have been put to work locally through the following institutions: Children and Youth Services Foundation, National Council of Voluntary Organisations, Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, the Department of Children and Family Services and the National Gallery.
The individual organisations presented specific project proposals to the Grant Committee of HFCC after last year’s event and funding was donated on the understanding that all of the organisations work together and that the funds were utilised as per the original proposals.
Grants were awarded according to strict selection criteria that required full disclosure of the purpose and structure of the intended projects and upon assurance that the organisations were solvent.
The CAYS foundation initiated a day programme that exposes at-risk youth to educational, training and employment opportunities that will reduce their vulnerability to substance abuse and violent behaviour.
Nine teenagers have taken part in this programme so far, with its success measured in its ability to keep the participants out of trouble with the law during the pilot project term.
The National Gallery has been instrumental in the development of a therapy-through-art programme, titled Children Speak. This involves the creation of a quilt by children and presentations to school-age children on the issues of abuse and neglect and age-specific instruction on how to get help.
The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre has hired a Community Programme Coordinator who holds a mandate to work in conjunction with the Department of Children and Family Services to provide educational programmes to children, parents, teachers and mentors. The CICC is also working closely with the National Gallery on the Children Speak quilt.
The Department of Children and Family Services is developing the Child Abuse Prevention Programme, which is a public education session broadcast through a number of media, including public presentations.
The Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home (with the NCVO) funding has gone towards the salaries of the foster parents. The Home is currently at capacity, with 10 children in residence.
‘The selection process this year followed a vigorous screening exercise of the various institutions that applied for the funds and is managed on an on-going basis by the Grant Committee along with the assistance of Dr. Bart Grossman, an academic specialising in this field from the University of California at Berkley. Each of the recipient organisations must report back to Dr. Grossman on a regular basis outlining their progress on their commitments’, said Peter Cockhill, Chairman of the Grant Committee.
Glen Wigney, Chairman of HFCC, commented: ‘It is incredible to see not only these worthy projects in action with the money raised from Hedge Funds Care, but to see the organisations who had previously worked remotely, now working together. It is encouraging to see this development and, it has sparked our desire to raise even more money this year for future programmes.’
FYI
There are still opportunities to sponsor the 2006 Hedge Funds Care fundraising dinner by purchasing tickets to the event, contributing an ad to the event programme or donating auction items for the silent and live auctions. For more information on how you can contribute, contact Denise Gower at 914-1692 or by email at [email protected].
WHO THEY ARE
Hedge fund industry professionals established Hedge Funds Care, a charitable organisation focused on assisting young victims of abuse, in 1998. Since that time, chapters have opened in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Toronto, Cayman and most recently in London. The targeted groups for the organisation include those organisations with interests in hedge funds, including investment managers, investors, prime brokers, attorneys, accountants, administrators and information providers.
The Cayman Committee of Hearts has representation by Deloitte, Ogier, Ernst & Young, PwC, KPMG, Walkers, Appleby Hunter Bailhache, dms Management, Citco, Maples and Calder, UBS and Rawlinson & Hunter.
Related Videos
