Ronco Cayman launches global giving programme

Ronco Cayman, an information technology firm in the Cayman Islands, has announced the launch of its giving program, ‘Hand Up’, which supports charities both locally and across the world.

Hand Up aims to assist those in need globally through relationships with various organisations, including London, England based Children’s Helpers Worldwide and Save the Elephants, an elephant preservation initiative headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ronco’s relationship with international charities extends back many years. Darrell Hines, Managing Director of Ronco, has roots in Kenya, and felt inspired by his heritage to reach out and help those in need from Kenya to Cayman and everywhere in between.

“The philosophy behind our giving program is that even the smallest gestures can make a big difference in somebody’s life,” Mr Hines said. “We look for opportunities to give people and organisations a ‘Hand Up’ — not a hand out. There’s a role for every business — no matter how large or small — to help those in need.”

Recently, Darrell and Ronco were involved with helping Children’s Helpers Worldwide (CHW) fund the tuition of a young man in Ghana so he could attend school and study civil engineering. The company has also offered to fund his upcoming second year of schooling.

“If you make a difference to one person’s life the snowball effect it has on many others’ is incalculable”, adds Sally Hendricken, Ronco’s CFO.
Within the past two years Ronco has also worked with CHW to sponsor a tutoring and mentoring system run by Refugiu in Romania, purchase food for an orphanage in Ghana, and assist with medical costs and housing for a child in China, among many other examples.

“We are so grateful to Darrell Hines and his company Ronco Cayman,” said the founder of CHW. “The help they are providing for the children is life-changing.”

Locally, Ronco plays a huge part in the 25 Days of Christmas toy drive that has been held every year since 2008. The charity was originally started by Darrell’s daughters, Victoria and Elisabeth, and is the single largest source of donations for the Department of Children & Family Services, as well as donating toys to the Paediatric Ward at the Health Services Authority.

Over the past few years Ronco has also contributed to a number of local based charities and organisations including the Cayman Heart Foundation, the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, One Dog at a Time, St. Baldrick’s Heroes for Hannah, The Pines, The National Council of Voluntary Organisations, and the West Bay Football Academy.

“I may hail from Kenya, but Cayman is my home. Having one hand helping at home whilst the other makes a difference abroad is a perfect balance and the message is clear; as small an island as we are, our reach is great,” said Mr Hines.
Ronco’s new Hand Up initiative will seek to continue its ongoing charitable work going forward.

“It is a motivator for Ronco to be able to support these charities locally and globally,” Mr Hines said. “We truly believe that small differences make large changes; there are always those that need that helping ‘Hand Up’, and to be able to dive in to people’s lives and make an impact, no matter how small it is, is what makes it all so worthwhile.