January 25, 2018

100 Women in Finance (100WF), a global, practitioner-driven nonprofit organisation that serves more than 15,000 professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries, today announced that it has named The Special Needs Foundation Cayman (SNFC) as its 2018 Cayman Beneficiary. Established in 2008, SNFC is a local charity that is committed to supporting children with a range of special needs across the Cayman Islands.

100WF has a strong track record of supporting charities and has raised more than U.S. $44 million (gross) for philanthropic causes in the areas of women’s and family health, education, and mentoring. 100WF Cayman aligns its yearly objectives to 100WF’s global theme, which rotates on an annual basis to ensure the greatest impact for local communities. For 2018, the theme is Education.

SNFC is embarking on a new initiative to go beyond advocacy and services through the establishment of ‘Our House”, which will include a physical location to consolidate services and programs.  Key to this initiative is a pilot program committed to implementation and action, through the development and provision of high quality inclusive learning services.  By partnering with the Haring Center from the University of Washington’s College of Education they will bring increased attention and support for early intervention and inclusion.  They will be bringing together specialists to form an Inclusion Team that will bring direct support to reception classes and pre-schools in both the public and private systems.  The pilot program is a three-year commitment and 100WF will be raising funds to help defray the costs of year one of the program.

Commenting on the selection, Susie Bodden, Executive Leader of SNFC stated, “’On behalf of all the children and families of the Special Needs Foundation I wish to express our sincere gratitude and excitement for being chosen as the 2018 Cayman Beneficiary for 100 Women in Finance.  The Special Needs Foundation, aided by this generous support, intends to rapidly increase our impact in Cayman during 2018, most notably with regard to Inclusive Education.  We believe this program will make a huge difference to the lives of our children.”

Leanne Golding, Chair of the Philanthropy Committee for 100WF Cayman, said, “100 Women in Finance is proud to support the Special Needs Foundation Cayman and, in particular, this groundbreaking program.  It is our hope that this initiative will benefit the Cayman Islands community as a whole for many years to come. We look forward to many successful fundraising events and activities together in 2018.”

100WF’s Cayman location has over 600 members. It raised more than U.S. $64,000 for its 2017 beneficiary, The Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF), through a series of successful events, including the Fourth Annual Barefoot Beach Gala and the repeat of the extremely successful Corporate Mixology Competition. Reflecting on 2017, Kim Lund, Director of BCF noted, “We were honored and thrilled that 100WF chose us as their beneficiary to support in 2017. All of the monies raised throughout 2017 have been used to fund our Wellness Program, which helps people living here in Cayman to get through their breast cancer treatments and beyond.  We could not do this work without organizations like 100WF and we are extremely grateful for their support”.

100WF Cayman has a number of events planned for 2018, including the Fifth Annual Barefoot Beach Gala, which will be held on Saturday, 10 March 2018 at Royal Palms, Grand Cayman. Ticket and sponsorship information will be available soon via the 100WF website. Parties interested in sponsorship opportunities can contact the Cayman Philanthropy Committee.

About 100 Women in Finance
www.100women.org
100 Women in Finance is a global network of professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries working together to empower women at every stage of their careers. Through peer engagement, philanthropic, and educational initiatives, our more than 15,000 members are making connections and creating opportunities that help to advance careers and strengthen our field.

About the Special Needs Foundation
www.specialneedsfoundation.ky
Established in 2008, SNFC is a local charity that is committed to supporting children with a range of special needs across the Cayman Islands.  Since its establishment, SNFC has grown to support more than 295 families and provides a range of free support including parent meetings, age related support groups, community education sessions, a dedicated family support worker, respite care, sports and leisure activities and financial assistance.

SOURCE: https://100women.org/news/the-special-needs-foundation-cayman-2018/