Hanover Charities aiming to better 2020 performance

WESTERN BUREAU:

With over $30 million spent on educational and other projects across Hanover during 2020, despite COVID-19 restrictions, the word out of the Hanover Charities group, the largest charitable organisation in the parish of Hanover, is that they plan to make every effort to equal or better that performance for 2021.

According to chairman of the 60-year-old organisation, Katrin Casserly, in 2020 the organisation’s main fundraiser, the Sugarcane Ball, held at the Round Hill Hotel in the parish, was held just before the discovery of COVID-19 cases in the island, and as such, the fundraiser was a successful event.

Money raised in 2020 were used to provide scholarships for approximately 200 students from Hanover, who are pursuing studies in various fields.

“We are proud that based on funds raised in 2020, we could fulfil our promise to our scholarship programme, and could also, in addition, embark on a very successful care and food package initiative between the months of March and July,” Casserly told The Gleaner during an interview.

coronavirus

Casserly said that despite the coronavirus and the resulting restrictions that were imposed because of it, some of which are still in place, it will not alter the efforts of the Hanover Charities organisation for 2021.

“The main aim of our mission is to continue all our programmes (for 2021). We might have to do some diversions; for example, the diversion of last year, where we spent a big part of our money raised for the care and food packages. But this is not the year when we can sit down and mourn, we just have to work harder and be creative to raise the necessary funds,” she stated.

Casserly outlined the fundraising plans for 2021, which starts as early as February, noting that instead of the usual one big event, the Sugarcane Ball, there will be about six smaller events held in 2021, with a view to always maintain the health protocols that are in place.

“Since we cannot have the big Sugarcane Ball as we do every year because of COVID-19, we are having three small and very exclusive dinners, with a high-ticket item, which will be held between Tryall and Round Hill hotels. At each dinner there will be a raffle prize; then we are going to have one lunch, which is going to be at the Sandy Bay Chukka Outpost. And we are going to have a virtual event on February 13, in celebration of the Sugarcane Ball, where we will be raffling a three-night stay at the Round Hill Hotel; and then we are going to have the polo event, to be held on the Easter weekend,” she pointed out.

Casserly emphasised that all proceeds from the six events will go towards the fundraising effort for the Hanover Charities organisation for the ensuing year.

She said that as a charitable organisation, the onus was on the directors to put some serious planning into how they were going to raise the necessary funding to carry on its programmes. She said that the belief within the group was that they had to show the donors that there was exceptional interest within the organisation to work as hard as in previous years for their support and funding.

“That’s why we have come up with those functions, and I am confident that with the additional donations that we may get (from the additional functions), that we may make the US$600,000 we made last year; but if we make US$500,000, I would be personally extremely happy,” Casserly emphasised.