Bermuda Day Fund To Assist Parade Participants
Participating in the Bermuda Day Parade “can be quite an expensive endeavour” and groups have said “that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to participate in this iconic event because of the associated costs” so “sponsors interested in helping to offset costs for parade participants will be able to donate to the Bermuda Day Fund” and the “Bermuda Foundation will serve as the fund manager; and parade participants will receive, depending on their budgets, a maximum of $2,500 toward their participation expenses.”
This was from Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Owen Darrell who spoke at a press conference about the launch of the Bermuda Day Fund in collaboration with Dr. Myra Virgil and The Bermuda Foundation.
A spokesperson said, “This charitable fund invites contributions from generous donors to assist those in our community who wish to participate in the Bermuda Day Parade.”
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Good afternoon Bermuda,
The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport is extremely proud of its role in ensuring that Bermuda’s culture and heritage is preserved, promoted, and most of all – supported.
As I address you today, we are a few days away from the start of Heritage Month, and I’m really excited to announce a wonderful initiative aimed at providing support for our Bermuda Day Parade participants.
I am joined today by Dr. Myra Virgil – the CEO and Managing Director of the Bermuda Foundation. Thank you Dr. Virgil for being here with us today.
As we all know, Heritage Month is one of the most exciting times for our island.
And it all culminates with the Bermuda Day Parade, one of the most important events on our cultural calendar.
This year Bermuda Day will be celebrated on May 26. And we are expecting residents and visitors alike to be lining the streets in the thousands to enjoy the Bermuda Day Parade and the half-marathon derby.
It’s a day of celebration, camaraderie, music, energy, culture and national pride.
Yes, this is certainly a day of fun and excitement for those who are cheering on our fellow Bermudians from the sidelines, but we also know that for those who are participating in the Bermuda Day Parade, this can be quite an expensive endeavour.
In fact, we have been receiving feedback from parade participants including float-builders, majorettes, and dance groups that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to participate in this iconic event because of the associated costs.
Unfortunately, this has contributed to a reduced presence by some groups.
The Government has received expressions of interest from the private sector to provide sponsorship or support but a mechanism for pooling, collecting, tracking and disbursing donated funds is needed.
So, thanks to the innovative thinking within the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport, in partnership with the Bermuda Foundation, today we are thrilled to launch the Bermuda Day Fund.
Sponsors interested in helping to offset costs for parade participants will be able to donate to the Bermuda Day Fund.
The Bermuda Foundation will serve as the fund manager; and parade participants will receive, depending on their budgets, a maximum of $2,500 toward their participation expenses including costumes, truck rentals, and float building materials. Although this support will in no way cover the entire amount of financing required for many groups to participate, it will help to defray costs and give a much-needed boost to these charities and community groups that put in so much work and effort to make the Bermuda Day holiday special for us all.
So today, we are inviting businesses, private foundations or individuals who wants to support community organisations for the Bermuda Day Parade to please make a donation to the Fund via the Foundation’s community giving website, www.GiveBermuda.org under Bermuda Day Fund.
We see this as a win-win for all.
With the creation of the Bermuda Day Fund and our partnership with the Bermuda Foundation, we are making an impact by providing tangible community-focused support.
By using this mechanism of support, we are ensuring that participants who need access to funding have an equitable and accessible way of getting it.
This year’s Heritage Month theme is A Bermudian Renaissance, and we chose this theme because we recognised that Bermudians have always had to be resourceful.
Our artists have always redefined Bermuda’s creative offerings, whether it’s public art, spoken word, music or dance.
This innovative partnership is a perfect example of Bermudian resourcefulness and adapting to our current climate.
Last year, the Bermuda Day Parade was one of the most attended events in this post-pandemic era, and we are looking to build upon last year’s participation and attendance levels. We want to have as much participation as possible from our energetic dance troupes, vibrant floats and majorettes.
For that to happen we as a community need to provide our support.
So, we hope with the launch of the Bermuda Day Fund, we will have as much representation and participation as possible in the parade.
We want this to be the best and biggest event yet, so let’s join together as a community, support our Bermuda Day Parade participants and celebrate one another at our signature event next month.
I would like to thank Dr. Virgil and the Bermuda Foundation for their partnership on this initiative, and I’d like to now invite her to share a few words.
Thank you.
For extensive coverage of Bermuda Day spanning over a decade, visit our website BDADay.com, the island’s most comprehensive resource on the Bermuda Day holiday.
- Over 6,000 photos here
- Over 150 videos here
- Holiday graphics here
- History of the race here
- Bermuda Day Timeline here
- Dedicated website: BDADay.com
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