The 2016 DG’s 5K Challenge raised $60,000 for Cayman Heart Fund’s appeal to buy a new ambulance, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson announced this week.

The grand total is $10,000 more than the goal Mr. Manderson set for the event held in April.

“I always say that I want the civil service to exceed expectations and I am very happy to tell you that is exactly what we have done in this case,” he said.

Mr. Manderson revealed the large donation to the Heart Fund during a reception at Government House on Tuesday night (31 May), held as a mark of gratitude to sponsors, the DG 5K organising committee and event volunteers.

“I sincerely thank everybody who helped make the 5K Challenge a success and raise such a tremendous amount of money for the ambulance,” he added. “I am involved with a lot of events but I can honestly say the DG’s 5K is my favourite and is the most fun. It really does bring everybody together, improving our health and raising money for a good cause at the same time. It shows what we can do as a community when we all come together and decide to make a difference.”

The Heart Fund has been fundraising towards a target of $150,000 since last summer to buy the ambulance which will be operated by the Health Services Authority for the people of the Cayman Islands,

Mr. Manderson presented the cheque to Cayman Heart Fund Chairman David Dinner at the reception.

“We are extremely grateful for this huge donation, which represents more than a third of our target,” said Mr. Dinner. “It was a great honour to be selected as the beneficiary of this year’s DG’s 5K Challenge and we thank everybody who was involved to make it such a success and help us buy the ambulance.”

The DG’s 5K walk/run attracted around 1,500 participants in Grand Cayman as well as about 160 in Cayman Brac, making it the largest turnout since the event was launched three years ago.

Dates for next year’s DG’s 5K Challenge have already been set for Cayman Brac on Sunday, 30 April and Grand Cayman on Sunday, May 7.

Caption: (Photo: Catherine MacGillivray, GIS)
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson (left) presents the $60,000 cheque to Cayman Heart Fund Chairman David Dinner.