Walkers donates to Haiti recovery efforts

(CNS): The staff of Walkers have raised over CI$70,000 towards helping to alleviate some of the suffering in Haiti following the recent earthquake, with all funds going to the Red Cross in the devastated Caribbean nation. A release from the firm says there was an overwhelming response to a ‘Dress Down Day’ organised on Friday 15 January, where staff donated money in return for being able to wear casual clothes to the office, which raised CI$ 19,533. The Walkers Charitable Foundation also made a donation of CI$50,000 to the Haiti recovery effort.

The funds raised will go the Red Cross, which has confirmed that all of the money will go to the Red Cross in Haiti, as will all the sales made in the Red Cross thrift shop over the next three weeks.

"The earthquake in Haiti has caused untold devastation and claimed many thousands of lives. There are an estimated three million people in need of emergency aid in a region which has still not recovered from the deadly hurricanes of 2008," commented Wendy Yeomans, Director of Operations at Walkers, who organised the special ‘Dress Down Day’ for Haiti. "The response from our staff has been really incredible and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their generosity and the compassion they have shown."

Staff in Walkers’ international offices have also joined in the fund raising effort, with collections held in the firm’s Jersey and London offices, raising a combined sum of over ₤1,300 (CI$ 1,701). Some Walkers’ employees have also come up with ideas of their own to help boost the fundraising. Tiffany Laurie, Executive Legal Secretary in the Cayman office, organised a cup-cake sale and was able to raise CI$ 617 which was added to the cash donations.

The Red Cross in Cayman has asked for monetary donations for Haiti because they are currently unable to send food and provisions due to the restricted access to Haiti’s airports. The funds are needed urgently to mobilise search and rescue teams, as well as for field hospitals, emergency health, water purification, emergency shelter, logistics and telecommunications.

Walkers has been running its "Dress Down Day" programme since 2005 and it has become a very popular way for staff to contribute towards local charitable and community projects. Each quarter a different charity is selected as a recipient and staff can nominate the organisations they feel are deserving. Among the good causes that received funds last year were the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and the Sunrise Adult Training Centre.

The Walkers Charitable Foundation was established in March 2004 to receive and consolidate charitable donations arising out of client transactions in order to benefit worthy causes. In recent years, the Walkers Charitable Foundation has made a number of substantial donations to charitable and community causes in Cayman such as the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Hospice and the National Recovery Fund.

Photo above: Children at Cayman International School enjoy some of the cup cakes baked for Haiti