Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman Celebrates 50th Anniversary

By Christopher Tobutt

On Saturday, February 15th, 2025, the Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman marked a monumental milestone — 50 years of dedicated service to the children of the Cayman Islands with their 50th Anniversary Gala. The grand celebration took place in the elegant ballroom of The Westin, where the atmosphere was filled with joy and camaraderie.

The event was graced by 11 distinguished Kiwanians from the Florida District of Kiwanis International, including notable figures such as Florida District Governor Jeremy Riehl, President-Elect of the Kiwanis Foundation David Roth, and Florida District Chair of Membership Ingrid Goulbourne. Other esteemed guests included Lieutenant Governor of the Florida Division 26 Marion Mason, Florida District Circle K Governor Jose Mendez, Florida District Key Club Governor Alejandro Ganaza, and Key Club District administrators Heather Locke and Jose Leoncio.

Her Excellency, Governor Jane Owen, and Miss Universe Cayman Islands Raegan Rutty were also in attendance, mingling with past and present Kiwanians, including one of the founding members, Ernest Foster. The evening kicked off with a mesmerizing steel pan performance by Michael Lemay during the champagne reception, setting the tone for a night to remember.

Guests were then treated to a delightful dinner, a silent auction, and a raffle, all culminating in a lively dance session with DJ Chuck Taylor spinning the tunes.

The President of the Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman, Dr. Tanikya Grant Davis, delivered an inspiring speech highlighting the club’s major projects, such as “Buy a Kid a Breakfast,” “Santa Landing,” the “Book Mobile,” “Grow Box Projects,” and the “Autism Awareness Project.” She emphasized the club’s commitment to service, quoting the first object of Kiwanis: “To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than the material values of life.”

“What started as a simple idea has grown into a legacy – touching thousands of lives through our dedicated compassion and commitment to service to the children,” she said. “Santa’s Landing has been with us from the 1970s – where Santa lands – literally in Cayman. The first landing was by boat, but eventually we went all the way up to a helicopter.  Santa’s landing is very supportive – it unites whole families,” she said. “we give each child a book as a gift, which is not only memorable but also promotes reading and literacy. 

“The Bookmobile is a very important project because it promotes education and reading Every week Kiwanis have a bookmobile at the George Town Primary School, where the kids who are not very confident about reading, but benefit from adults reading alongside them.” 

Dr. Grant Davis also outlined future goals, focusing on strengthening service, membership engagement, and collaboration to support the club’s four areas of service: children’s health and nutrition, literacy and education, youth leadership, and community engagement.

Attendees were further inspired by eloquent speeches from Florida District Governor Jeremy Riehl, Lieutenant Governor of the Florida Division 26 Marion Mason, Florida District Circle K Governor Jose Mendez, Florida District Key Club Governor Alejandro Ganaza, and Cayman Key Club Lieutenant Governor Amiya Tahal from Triple C School.

In recognition of their unwavering dedication, Kiwanis International Florida District Governor honored Distinguished Lieutenant Governor Winsome Radcliffe, President Dr. Tanikya Grant Davis, and Distinguished Past President Ibimitomi “Asher” Ogbe. Longstanding service awards were also presented to Linda Key, Paul Key, and Roger Bodden for over 30 years of service, Donna Scott, Erna Jane Ebanks, and Ernest Foster for over 20 years, and Winsome Radcliffe, Judy Ebanks, and Kadi Merren Pentney for over 10 years of service.

A nostalgic highlight of the evening was the recreation of a 1993 photo featuring Past President Roger Bodden presenting a map of Cayman to the Governor. This time, Roger presented the map to Her Excellency Governor Jane Owen, with President Grant Davis looking on. Each attendee received a map as a keepsake.

For more information about the Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman or to become a member, visit www.kiwanis.ky