Last year, Hurricane Ivan destroyed much of the Marriott’s roof, but on Saturday night it was the Raising the Roof Telethon on CITN that blew the roof off the Marriott – in a much more positive way.
National Recovery Fund executive director Dr. Mark Laskin, far left, is all smiles as he poses with many of the telethon presenters Saturday evening. Back row, from left, Jackie Hansen, Dave McKenzie, Charles Glidden, Donna Bush, Sheena Hurlstone and Jay Ehrhart. Front row, from left, Orville Daniels, Vanessa Hansen, Bobby Bodden, Cynthia Arie and John Foster. Photo: Melissa Wolfe |
Even organizers of the event, CITN and the National Recovery Fund, were blow away by the nearly $2 million raised for Cayman residents still in need of assistance.
Executive Producer, Mike Martin of CITN, initially planned on setting the goal at $300,000 at the beginning of the evening with plans on raising the ante to $600,000 half way through the night.
‘A show of support this intense proves that our community agrees with us – that there is still much to be done around Cayman for recovery,’ he said. ‘We received pledges from every demographic group in Cayman for amounts varying from $5 to $50,000. Callers even complimented us on the quality of the entertainment and continued to watch the program through the evening.’
With a wide variety of entertainers, the entire show itself was such a huge success that many of the corporate donors and VIP guests stayed for the remainder of the night to help out and be a part of the event.
Re/Max, the first corporate donor to come forward brought a hefty $15,000 cheque and all their real estate agents to volunteer on the phones recording donations from callers. ‘We chose this initiative because we see a direct result of our giving around the communities of Cayman. We want people to think of Re/Max as their neighbourhood real estate company, always helping with and thinking about the communities around us,’ said Re/Max spokesman James Bovell.
The National Recovery Fund is excited by the show of support for those in need and ready to put the funds into action. ‘This was an incredibly successful event that stretched far beyond our initial expectations,’ said Recovery Fund Executive Director Dr. Mark Laskin.
‘We just can’t say enough about the support we received from the entire team at CITN, from presenters, to technicians, to even an award winning producer; everyone was there with 100 per cent enthusiasm for the cause.’
At the close of the show, 13-time Emmy Award winner, Rick Alpert, producer of Raising the Roof, cracked a smile of relief.
‘Our only hope now is that all those who did not have the opportunity to participate in the telethon will use it as motivation to do their part for those still in need.’
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