‘Give Back Games’ Raises $77,000 For Charity

Over 120 people participated in the recent ‘Give Back Games’ at Horseshoe Bay, which was organized by The Centre on Philanthropy and saw the participants raise $77,000 for charity.

12 of Bermuda’s leading international companies took part, each representing a local charity that they selected, with Tokio Millennium Re repeating as champions and earning The Reading Clinic $11,000 for their efforts.

Twists and turns were the order of the day as the 2012 Give Back Games carried an extra “bite” this year, as the revised Wheelbarrow Race which required participants to grab an apple with their mouth out of a tray of water to complete the race.

This was just one of a number of innovations in the fourth year of these annual beach Olympics, organised by The Centre on Philanthropy and participated in by 12 of Bermuda’s leading international companies, each representing a local charity that they selected. With the inclusion of one additional team, the 2012 Games raised a total of $77,000 to be shared amongst the charities.

Other twists and turns included tumbles out of kayaks as paddlers tried to round a buoy in heavy surf and face plants in the always popular dizzy bat race. New games added to the Games included the Food Tower, organised by The Eliza Dolittle Society, and the Blind Folded Water Relay, organised by the Bermuda Society for the Blind.

One thing that did not change was the winners, with Tokio Millennium Re repeating as champions. This year they were representing The Reading Clinic, earning the charity $11,000 for their efforts.

All in all, over 120 people took part in the Give Back Games, including charity representatives to organise and score the events, and a bevy of other volunteers to do everything from count to drive the beach buggy.

Not included in that tally are the 1786 votes in the Give Back Games Facebook Photo Challenge. Each team was invited to post a picture on The Centre’s Facebook page and invite people to vote for their photo by ‘liking’ it. Team Argo won the competition with 509 ‘likes’ and earned an additional $500 for their charity, the Bermuda SPCA.

Argo Team Captain Kevin Williams described how their photo [featuring Team Argo standing behind his bulldog ‘Bella’] pulled so many votes: “Who could resist voting for that squishy face?” he surmised. “In short it was team work inspired by Bella and the work of the SPCA. I think people have a special place in their heart for animals and it resulted in the tremendous support that enabled us to win the challenge.”

Jacques Bonneau, chairman of Ace Tempest Re Group and co-chair of the Games, was instrumental in the creation of the event in 2009. This year he was also on the beach as a competitor.

“The Give Back Games are a great opportunity to team build, to compete against other industry concerns in a fun event all the while supporting each companies designated charity and to have the whole community participate in an enjoyable and fulfilling day of giving. The charities win, the competitors win and the community also wins,” said Mr. Bonneau.

In her closing remarks Pamela Barit Nolan, executive director of The Centre, acknowledged Barritt and Sons and Gosling’s as sponsors of the event [and judges of the Sand Castle Competition]and paid tribute to the total effort of everyone involved/

“This was our fourth year and the event continues to grow in both stature and outreach. It shows how much fun giving back can be, and provides opportunities to raise awareness about the important work being done by Bermuda’s nonprofit sector,” she said.

Give Back Games 2012 Results:

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You can view a slideshow of the 2012 Give Back Games here, all our past Give Back Games coverage here, and the Centre on Philanthropy’s website here.

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