The Lyford Cay Foundation and Lyford Cay Club made a joint gift to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recently to assist with the relief efforts in the Out Islands hardest hit by Hurricane Irene.
"On behalf of the Lyford Cay Foundation and our partner in this gift, the Lyford Cay Club, we are pleased to present you with a grant in the amount of $10,000 to aid in the relief effort on the heels of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene," said Alessandra Holowesko, President of Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc., during the cheque presentation at NEMA headquarters. "I think it's safe to say that all of us in Nassau feel most fortunate and certainly spared, but we are saddened by the chaos left behind in our Family Islands, so we are hopeful that this gift will in some way alleviate the pressure for our fellow Bahamians."
NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell expressed his gratitude to the Foundation and Club representatives for what he described as their generous and timely donation.
"I can assure you that the funds will be put to use right away," he said. "It is our aim and our desire to make sure that those persons in distress are brought back to some state of normalcy as soon as possible. We have ships on standby, and can now procure additional materials and get them into use. So we are indeed grateful for this fine gesture this morning, and we look forward to your continued support."
Graham Hastedt, Managing Director of the Lyford Cay Club — which was relatively unscathed by the hurricane — said that the Club's Board of Governors felt it was imperative to make a direct contribution to those who had been less fortunate.
"Our hearts went out to the communities that experienced the full fury of Irene and we felt it was appropriate, given the severity of the damage, to do something to lend a hand," he said. "The Club has been in existence for 50 years, and it has a very strong relationship with the community at large. Quite a few of our members also have close family ties in some of the Out Islands. Of course our connection with the Lyford Cay Foundation really helps us to be able to give assistance where it is most needed, as it has relationships with the agencies that disburse the funds for this sort of purpose, so we were very happy we could help in this way."
Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc. was established in 1969 by two members of the Lyford Cay Club. It is a non-profit public charity with tax-exempt status under the US Internal Revenue code. The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation, a Canadian non-profit charity, was established in 1977. Their joint purpose is to support the development of The Bahamas by investing their resources directly in philanthropic activities.
Photo 1: (Left to right): Manuel J. Cutillas, Chairman, Lyford Cay Foundation; Alessandra Holowesko, President, Lyford Cay Foundation; Captain Stephen Russell, Director, NEMA; Deborah Hanna, Accounting Officer, NEMA; Graham Hastedt, Managing Director, Lyford Cay Club, and Maureen French, Managing Director, Lyford Cay Foundation.
Photo 2: NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell (right) introduces some of his team to representatives from the Lyford Cay Club and the Lyford Cay Foundation at NEMA headquarters.
Photos by Tim Aylen
