Maples Group Donates Over $135,000 to Support Cayman Islands Community during COVID-19

The Maples Group has announced that, since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has donated over US$135,000 to local organisations that are supporting the community through the pandemic, in addition to the Group's ongoing non-COVID-19 related donations and charitable work. The Group remains committed to supporting the Cayman Islands community and would like to express its gratitude to all of the frontline workers, volunteers and charities for their tireless work. Ten organisations including local charities, Government and industry associations have benefitted from the Group's funding which was raised through its employee donations and long-standing philanthropic programme.

Community spirit is a value instilled from the Group's leadership and all employees are actively encouraged to participate in community projects throughout the year. Its dedicated 'Dress for your Day' initiative gives all employees the option to donate a portion of their monthly salary to charities, with the Group matching all donations made by its employees. This year, the Group decided to dedicate all amounts raised from this initiative to support organisations that are providing essential services during COVID-19. The following organisations and charities received $14,000 each:

• Acts of Random Kindness;

• Cayman Islands Crisis Centre;

• Department of Children and Family Services;

• Feed Our Future Cayman;

• Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman;

• Meals on Wheels; and

• NCVO.

The Group has also announced plans to make similar donations through this initiative later this year.

The Group's community programme has been in existence for many years and has supported some of the Cayman Islands most well-known projects and charities such as the United World College Scholarship Programme, the George Town Library wing extension, the Pines Retirement Home and the Cayman Islands Junior Rugby Development Programme. Through this programme, the Group is pleased to share that it is providing additional support to the following organisations:

• Cayman Food Bank

• GirlForce100

• Cayman Finance's Feeding the Frontline initiative

Over US$25,000 was donated to the Cayman Food Bank to support the distribution of food and will also be used to help purchase a new delivery truck to meet the increased demand for food supplies.

To ensure local high school students have the ability to continue their studies online, the Group has sponsored the purchase of 25 new laptops for students at John Gray High School and Clifton Hunter High School. The recipients were identified by teachers in collaboration with the GirlForce 100 mentorship programme, an initiative developed by 100 Women in Finance.

As a member of Cayman Finance, the Group was part of their recent Feeding the Frontline initiative which provided more than 450 meals to healthcare workers at the Health Services Authority during the Easter weekend.

Commenting on the Group's philanthropic efforts, Matthew Gardner, Managing Partner of Maples and Calder, in the Group's Cayman Islands office said:

"Our utmost priority is the safety and well-being of our employees, our clients and the members of the communities in which we operate. We recognise that actions matter and that speed of response is particularly critical at this time. The management and personnel at the Maples Group wish to extend a well-deserved thank you to the organisations and frontline workers who are working tirelessly during this time to support those in need in our community."

Echoing these sentiments and commenting on the Group's Dress for your Day initiative, Scott Somerville, CEO of the fiduciary, fund, entity formation and management, and regulatory services businesses of the Maples Group, added:

"We are incredibly proud of our team members who have generously made donations to support these worthy organisations and charities and the Group is pleased to match such donations made by its employees. We hope that the additional funding will help them to continue to support those in the community who need it the most. The Maples Group's community involvement is well-established in the Cayman Islands and we have been more than happy to step up where needed to direct our sponsorship and donation funds to those organisations and individuals in need. We look forward to providing continued support in the future."

About The Maples Group

The Maples Group is a leading service provider offering clients a comprehensive range of legal services on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Jersey and Luxembourg and is an independent provider of fiduciary, fund services, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services. The Maples Group distinguishes itself with a client-focused approach, providing solutions tailored to their specific needs. Its global network of lawyers and industry professionals are strategically located in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East to ensure that clients gain immediate access to expert advice and bespoke support, within convenient time zones. For more information, please visit: maples.com.