Thanks to a strong turnout and unprecedented sponsorship, the Bodden Town Action Committee has declared their recent fundraiser event a great success.
‘We are so happy that so many people came out to support us, and we are absolutely thrilled that we were able to surpass our fundraising goal,’ said BTAC Chair Marleine Gagnon.
The BTAC, a volunteer community organization made up of friends and residents of Bodden Town, was raising funds intended to help rebuild and revitalize the village, which in some areas still shows the devastating effects of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
The BTAC’s fundraising and awareness efforts included tree sponsorships and raffle ticket sales, capped off with the Discover Bodden Town Treasure Hunt, which took place on Saturday, 15 September.
The day featured a morning treasure hunt that showcased historic sites and local businesses in the village, breakfast and music, children’s activities at the public beach, and a visit from the zany Junkanoo characters.
The events concluded with a ceremonial tree planting at the public beach, and the drawing of the raffle prizes. First prize, a trip to New York with accommodation, went to Emileen Ramos.
Dozens of volunteers and donors gave up their time and elbow-grease to provide the BTAC with the resources – ranging from T-shirts to music to food to everything in between – needed to pull off such an extravagant undertaking, which seemingly went off without a hitch.
The project also had the support of Ministers Charles Clifford and Anthony Eden, MLA Osbourne Bodden as well as Heather Bodden, Chair of the Cayman Islands Beautification Committee. The CIBC was able to donate $18,000 toward the project.
The group of volunteers was thrilled when they found that they had exceed their goal of CI$50,000 when the final tally came in at $82,000, all of which will be used to enable the group to plant mature trees, fix homes, add signage and clean up trash and find ways to stop littering.
The most successful element of the event was the ‘Buy a Tree for Bodden Town.’ For CI$1,000, organizations or people could ‘purchase’ a new mature tree, which will be planted along Bodden Town’s main road. Owners will be recognised for their donation by a plaque, which will be placed in front of the trees and will show the company’s logo or individual’s name.
Thanks to some last minute publicity efforts, the final tree tally reached 53 on the morning of the event.
‘BTAC would like to thank each and every donor for their generous contribution. The committee is very excited to share the details of its plan and to kick off the project,’ said Ms Gagnon.
Pullout:
The group of volunteers was thrilled when they found that they had exceed their goal of CI$50,000 when the final tally came in at $82,000, all of which will be used to enable the group to plant mature trees, fix homes, add signage and clean up trash and find ways to stop littering.
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