The Hon. Franz Manderson, Deputy Governor, Cayman Islands Government, Special Olympics Cayman Islands (SOCI) coaches and athletes, sponsors and volunteers joined together in celebration on Monday, March 2nd to kick-off registration for the 2015 DG’s 5K Challenge.

The 2015 DG’s 5K Challenge will be held on Sunday, April 26th. It is an annual event that brings together civil servants, private sector employees and members of the general public in a fitness and fundraising challenge as part of the Deputy Governor’s vision to have a healthier, more active and more socially engaged civil service while benefiting charitable organisations and initiatives in the Cayman Islands.

Now in its second year, the DG’s 5K Challenge has set its sights on raising funds and awareness for SOCI, its programmes and athletes, and to support their aspiration to attend the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, California, July 25th to August 2nd, 2015.

SOCI provides sports training for athletes with intellectual challenges for ages 5 years up to adult, and is strongly based on the premise that with sports training and competition, athletes lead fuller, more self-sufficient lives; enabling them to achieve success on and off the field of competition.

“We are looking forward to this year’s DG’s 5K Challenge to be bigger and better than ever,” said Mr. Manderson. “We not only want to raise more funds and participation, but we also want to raise the bar for us all to ‘challenge’ ourselves as a community to support our SOCI athletes. These athletes challenge themselves every day to strive for the best that they can be in their personal pursuit of excellence. Let’s show our united support,” he added.

The DG’s 5K Challenge is open to all ages and abilities, and provides many opportunities to support and participate. The 2015 DG’s 5K Challenge committee intends to take this year’s event to the next level with the objectives of raising $20,000 for SOCI, and be the largest 5K event that brings private and public sectors together for one cause.

Speaking on behalf of the fundraising effort thus far, Ms. Nancy Barnard, Chair, Fundraising Sub-committee said, “We are very grateful that Gold Sponsors Appleby, Butterfield and Ernst & Young (EY) came on board early and we have also received Silver sponsorship from Cayman National Bank, Walkers, Samson & McGrath, and KPMG. The LIME and PwC Water Stops will provide hydration on the run, while CINICO has sponsored the Half Way mark. Dinner Martin, London & Amsterdam, Wilmington Trust and Ritch & Conolly have sponsored the Kilometer Markers. Radio Cayman is pivotal in the media drive among others’ expressions of interest to support the event and SOCI. We welcome more sponsors – Silver and Bronze categories are still available and gifts in kind are also appreciated.”

“As we kick-off registration today, there are still lots of sponsorship opportunities available. We are looking for cash donations, in-kind donations of products, services and prizes, and of course we want to encourage everyone to participate through registration and volunteering,” said Ms. Jennifer Ahearn, Co-Chair, DG’s 5K Challenge.

SOCI coaches Ms. Nicole Thompson and Ms. Susan Whittaker and athletes Jaheim Ebanks (Football), and Jazlyn Hydes and Anechell Newman (Athletics) were on hand to help kick-start registration and express their appreciation being chosen by Mr. Manderson as this year’s beneficiary.

“There is a great energy here and everyone is genuinely excited to help raise our profile and funding for our programmes and our athletes,” said Ms. Whittaker, Coach, SOCI. “Our coaches and athletes work very hard every year and this fundraiser is a huge boost to our ability to continue our local programmes and more specifically, to help our athletes attend this summer’s Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles,” she added.

Registration takes place every Friday, March 6th thru April 24th, 2015 at the Cayman Islands Government Administration building on Elgin Avenue. There are discounts for groups of ten registering at the same time, there will be trophies and awards, and prize draws for all participants and volunteers. Registration forms including all the details of the event and a route map can be downloaded from www.ODG.gov.ky/DG5K or will be emailed by request to [email protected].

The 2015 DG’s 5K Challenge welcomes support and participation through a wide range of opportunities: donation, volunteering, participation and sponsorship. Registration and general questions can be emailed to [email protected] Volunteers can register at [email protected] Cash and prize donations can be communicated to [email protected]

Photo Caption:
2015 DG’s 5K Challenge Gold Sponsors join the Deputy Governor and Special Olympics Cayman Islands athletes for registration kick-off at the Government Administration Building, 2 March 2015.
(L-R back row) Mr. Jeffrey Short, Partner, EY; Mr. Bryan Hunter, Managing, Partner, Appleby; Hon. Franz Manderson, Deputy Governor; Mr. Michael McWatt, Deputy Managing Director, Butterfield.
(L-R front row) Jazlyn Hydes (Athletics), SOCI athlete; Anechell Newman (Athletics), SOCI athlete; Jaheim Ebanks (Football), SOCI athlete.