Cayman Islands Olympic Team
George Town Library
Maples Reading Programme
The Cayman Islands Cystic Fibrosis Trust
The Cayman Islands National Gallery
Student Scholarship Awards
Maples Sevens Academy
Maples Community Development Programme
Cayman Islands Under 19 Rugby
Special Olympics Cayman Islands Team
2010 Commonwealth Games
The Eslyn Henley Ritchie Learning Centre, British Virgin Islands
Charitable Donations
Cayman Islands Olympic Team
Maples and Calder is proud to support Cayman’s athletes as they go head to head with the world’s best at the 2008 Olympic Games. Maples was one of the first local companies to sign on as a gold sponsor of the Cayman Islands Olympic team and is honoured to support the four athletes who will proudly represent the Cayman Islands.
George Town LibraryThe George Town library in Grand Cayman is set to undergo a multimillion dollar expansion. A first-class library is a key component of any education system and Maples is proud to be key sponsor of this expansion initiative. The new ‘Maples Wing’ extension will improve the available learning and reading facilities for children and young adults. This is a long-term public/private partnership and Maples’ donation of US$2,500,000 spread over a period of 10 years will be matched by the Cayman Islands government.
[ TOP ]Maples Reading ProgrammeThe Maples reading programme is designed to expose children in the Cayman Islands to reading in a way that will foster their love of reading. The programme will provide support and funding to community reading programmes in addition to introducing its own reading initiatives, which Maples hopes will encourage children to become avid readers. With over 65 staff signed-up as volunteers, the group will contribute by not only funding reading programmes but also providing volunteers to assist with their co-ordination. The reading programme's first major initiative is a partnership between Maples and The Cayman Islands Department of Education Services to create Cayman's first ever book award. The Cayman Whistling Duck Book Award (WDBA) will be presented annually to three international authors of children's books starting with the inaugural event in April 2009. The winning authors will be selected from three book categories: young readers, juniors and teens. Children will be asked to read up to five books in their category and provide their teachers with a summary of each book. The WDBA Committee will hold book-themed events, help children to start their own book clubs and run book-focused activities throughout the schools to encourage children to participate in the WDBA.
Established in 2005, the Trust's aim is to contribute towards worldwide research projects to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. Maples is a proud sponsor of the Trust and staff are frequently involved in fundraising activities. The ‘Bedtime Story Fun Day’ is a popular annual family event which supports Maples’ aim of improving literacy levels within the Cayman Islands community. The Trust has raised substantial funds and as a result has donated US$50,000 to the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s ‘Milestones to a Cure’ campaign and has purchased a state-of-the-art physiotherapy machine to help a young Caymanian adult.
For more information about the Trust please contact Jon Fowler at
jon.fowler@maplesandcalder.com.
[ TOP ]The Cayman Islands National Gallery The Cayman Islands National Gallery is primarily an educational non-profit organisation. Since opening in 1996, the Gallery has set the stage for the development and success of artists in the Cayman Islands. Each year it hosts an average of eight local and international art exhibitions, artist workshops, lectures and annual events.
Maples has contributed US$120,000 in support of a US$2 million project to construct a new purpose-built gallery aimed at promoting and encouraging appreciation and practice of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands. This facility is due to open later in 2008 and will enable the Gallery to host a more diverse range of functions and exhibitions.
Maples' donation will also contribute towards the construction of the Maples and Calder Library, which will be the biggest art and design library in the Cayman Islands, fully equipped with a wide range of educational materials.
For more information about the Cayman Islands National Gallery please visit:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/newhome.html[ TOP ]Student Scholarship AwardsAs more and more Caymanians are pursuing further education, Maples is receiving an increasing number of applicants for the ‘Maples Non-Legal Scholarship Awards’ which were established to provide development and training opportunities to outstanding young Caymanians. Recipients of the 2010 scholarships are:
Darren Ebanks - studying Mechanical Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology.
Morris Swaby Ebanks - studying Political Science and Linguistics at Middlebury College in Vermont.
Shenaye Ebanks - studying Biology/Pre-med with a minor in Art at the University of Tampa.
Takiyah Smith - studying International Studies at Oakwood University in Alabama.
Jameal Welcome - studying Computer Science with a minor in Communication at Hiram College in Ohio.
Maples non-legal scholarships are offered on an annual basis and are available to all Caymanians who wish to pursue an undergraduate or post-graduate degree. Individuals are selected based not only on their academic excellence but also their dedication to community service and leadership in the Cayman Islands.
For more information on the Maples Scholarship Programme, please contact Michelle Daykin on +1 345 949 8066 or at
michelle.daykin@maplesandcalder.com[ TOP ]Maples Sevens AcademyThe Maples Sevens Academy was established in 2004 to help the Cayman Islands implement a development programme giving talented rugby players the chance to compete in international tournaments. The Academy was set up in partnership with the Cayman Islands Government, the Department of Sports and the Cayman Islands Rugby Club. Funds raised have enabled the Cayman Rugby Union to purchase equipment and provide coaching to the players. Players are selected from the Community Development Programme. In July 2006 successful candidates included six young Caymanian players who went to Fiji on a six-week training programme, run by Fijian rugby stars from the National Club Sevens Champions Red Rock. The Academy supports Maples' ethos of promoting education and sporting opportunities for young Caymanians. The Academy has produced several top players, many of whom have gone on to represent the Cayman National Side, while also developing community leaders encouraging people to give back to their communities through coaching and refereeing.
[ TOP ]Maples Community Development Programme Maples also supports youth rugby in the community through the Cayman Islands Community Development Programme. The Programme is designed to introduce rugby into the various districts in Cayman with a particular focus on enabling school children to learn the game and focus on sporting activity outside of school. The Programme starts as young as Under 4s with volunteer coaches and referees delivering the Programme. In 2008, Cayman hosted Bermuda with the Under 12 and Under 10 sides picked from the Programme playing full internationals against each other. It is intended to extend this tournament to include Jamaica, the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands.
[ TOP ]Cayman Islands Under 19 Rugby Maples is proud of the continued success of the Maples Sevens Academy and its role in the development of rugby in the Cayman Islands. The Academy allows talented young rugby players to hone their skills and to compete internationally. A milestone was reached on 12 July 2008, when the Cayman Islands Under 19 team defeated Mexico at the 2008 Caribbean Under 19 Championship final in Barbados. Many of the players are either graduates of, or current members of the Maples Sevens Academy. The Cayman team will now go on to represent the North American West Indies Rugby Association (NAWIRA) at the International Rugby Board (IRB) Junior World Rugby Trophy next year, where Cayman will compete against teams from across the globe. Richard Adams, Director of Rugby for the Cayman Islands commented "Maples have been fantastic supporters of youth rugby in the Cayman Islands and have shown their commitment to funding the Community Programme."
[ TOP ]Special Olympics Cayman Islands TeamSpecial Olympics is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities to become physically fit through sports training and competition. The Olympics provide sports training and athlete competitions through more than 200 programmes across 160 countries worldwide.
The Cayman Islands entered four athletes into the 2007 Olympics in Shanghai, China. The athletes were sponsored, amongst others, by Maples whose donation contributed towards costs for training, equipment and travel. Athletics athletes were Kevin Anglin and Chris Sampson and aquatics athletes; Waide and Andrew Smiley. Between them they won nine medals, six of them gold.
The next Special Olympics are scheduled for 2011 in Athens, Greece. For more information please visit:
http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/default.htm[ TOP ]2010 Commonwealth Games - Cayman Islands National Squash TeamThe next Commonwealth Games will be held in 2010 in Delhi, India. The Cayman Islands will be entering a national squash team, sponsored by Maples. The sponsorship will enable the team to undergo a 12-month intensive training programme led by professional coach, Dan Kneipp. The funding will also go towards buying a squash cannon ball machine to improve players' racquet skills.
For more information about the 2010 Commonwealth Games please visit:
http://www.cwgdelhi2010.com/story/2006/3/14/13644/5912[ TOP ]The Eslyn Henley Ritchie Learning Centre, British Virgin IslandsMaples is the principal sponsor of the Eslyn Henley Ritchie Learning Centre, which provides teaching for children with special needs in the British Virgin Islands "BVI". The school is using funds donated by Maples to purchase equipment and furniture as well as to contribute towards expenses for day trips, which are a rare luxury for the children of the school. Our initial sponsorship covers a period of three years.
[ TOP ]Charitable DonationsMaples is committed to ensuring young people receive the best education and training available. Throughout 2007, Maples has been involved in several charitable projects in the Cayman Islands - from one-off monetary donations to staff giving up their personal time to help or participate in local events.
Cayman Islands Junior Achievement Programme:
15 Maples lawyers and senior staff committed their time and knowledge to overseeing and advising the student-run company, Verve. Sessions ranged from learning how to develop and execute a business plan to seeking advice on ordering materials for their activities.
Cayman Islands Lighthouse School Trip Donation:
Maples assisted the Lighthouse School by donating US$25,000 towards their appeal to raise funds for children with special needs to travel to Disney World for the Easter break.
Cayman Islands Crisis Centre:
A group of Maples staff organised three four-person relay teams for the Cayman Islands marathon raising over US$1,600 in sponsorship. The money was donated to the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre to support their community education programme on domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Hedge Funds Care:
Maples supports the annual gala events hosted by Hedge Funds Care in the UK and the Cayman Islands. The aim of Hedge Funds Care is to prevent and treat child abuse. Our sponsorship has contributed towards donations to several community-based organisations including, among others, the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the UK.
British Virgin Islands Children's Rugby Programme:
A donation from Maples has enabled the BVI Rugby Football Union to purchase 50 children's size rugby balls to support the development of the game among school children in the British Virgin Islands "BVI".
British Virgin Islands Watersports Centre Donation:
During the last two years, Maples has contributed a total of US$10,000 to the BVI Watersports Centre. The centre runs sailing programmes for children with mixed abilities ranging from six to sixteen. The funds were used to purchase an additional Pico dinghy for their training fleet as well as to assist with the purchase of a replacement rescue boat, without which their fleet cannot operate.
In recognition of Maples’ commitment and contribution throughout 2007 the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce awarded the firm a ‘Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award’.
For sponsorship requests, please contact Cherryl Moore at
cherryl.moore@maplesandcalder.com [ TOP ]