Captive Conference To Donate $5K To Hospice
Friends of Hospice, the registered charity supporting Bermuda’s only in-patient hospice, Agape House, has been chosen as the first beneficiary of the Bermuda Captive Conference.
This year’s 14th annual event, slated to run June 11–13 at Fairmont Southampton, attracts close to 800 delegates, including captive insurance owners, risk managers, captive managers, sponsors, and vendors from the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the United Kingdom.
For the first time this year, the event has launched a community partnership initiative, with Friends of Hospice nominated and selected by a conference committee as the inaugural beneficiary.
The charity will receive a $5,000 cheque from the conference, along with additional donations gathered from delegates during the event. The charity will also be provided booth space, and an opportunity to address conference attendees about its mission to enhance quality of life for hospice patients and their families.
Announcing the 2018 charity beneficiary, Bermuda Captive Conference Chair Mike Parrish, with, from left, Friends of Hospice Chair Alison Soares and the charity’s Executive Director Cathy Belvedere
“The conference is a major event in Bermuda, and we decided that, going forward, we would inaugurate a community outreach programme and select a local charity to support each year,” said Conference Chair Mike Parrish. “
We’re delighted that Friends of Hospice is the 2018 designated charity. We’ll make a donation and also give the charity an opportunity to attend our event, fundraise, and speak to the delegates. We believe it’s important as a Bermuda event to recognise and support the local community—and Friends of Hospice is clearly a very necessary and worthy charity for us to support.”
The charity, which turns 25 next year, currently supports an eight-bed hospice at Agape House, a cottage situated on the eastern edge of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital property.
It is owned and operated by Bermuda Hospitals Board that provides medical supplies, supporting treatments and medical staff, including a palliative care physician. Equipment, along with kitchen supplies and a fulltime weekday chef and a number of programmes, are supported by the charity.
Sixty percent of Agape House patients are actively dying; others have life-threatening illnesses or require pain or medical management, including oncology treatments.
“We are so excited and grateful to be selected by the Bermuda Captive Conference as its first beneficiary charity,” said Cathy Belvedere, Executive Director, Friends of Hospice.
“To be given this opportunity is wonderful news. As well as the actual donation, which is much appreciated, we also welcome the opportunity to raise our profile and plant the seed for further corporate support.”
The conference donation will coincide with the kickoff of a two-year capital campaign by the charity this spring to raise funds for a new, fit-for-purpose hospice to replace the aging Agape House facility.
“We’re thrilled to hear about this special donation, and we’re so thankful to the Bermuda Captive Conference for a phenomenal contribution that will move us forward,” said Alison Soares, Friends of Hospice Chair.
“The hospice is an absolute necessity for any community, including ours. Our campaign will aim to secure its future. We can’t thank the corporate community enough—we couldn’t do without them.”
For more information about the conference, contact +1-441/295-2626, info@bermudacaptive.bm or go to bermudacaptiveconference.com
