Tibbetts Family Foundation Donates US$100,000 to R3

Grand Cayman, 9 June 2021: R3 Cayman Foundation is pleased to accept a generous donation of CI$100,000 from the Tibbetts Family Foundation.

R3 Cayman Foundation has used these funds to donate (i) US$25,000 to the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) to fund their COVID-19 vaccination drive raffle and (ii) US$75,000 to Cayman’s Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) to support their utilities, rent and food relief programme. The matching donation of US$100,000 from the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation will be used to assist other charitable organisations chosen at the discretion of R3 Cayman Foundation.

In accepting the donation, Bryan Hunter said: “R3 was established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic but with a broader objective to help our three islands prepare for, cope with and recover from emergencies and disasters. We are very grateful to the Tibbetts Family Foundation for its generous donation and for believing in and supporting our mission.”

Cayman’s ARK Tara Nielsen said: “One year after the Initial COVID-19 lock down, ARK continues our Emergency Relief Response to keep unemployed tourism workers connected to power, water, electricity, food, housing and healthcare. This simply could not be achieved without the unwavering support of the private sector and remarkable donations such as this $75,000.00 donation from R3 Cayman Foundation, which was made possible by a generous donation from the Tibbetts Family Foundation”.

Michael Tibbetts and his sisters Emily Tibbetts Allenbach and Jessica Tibbetts Buchanan direct the Tibbetts Family Foundation. Michael said: "In making this gift, my sisters and I aim to bring attention to the plight of the many Caymanians, residents and work permit holders who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and the 15-month closure of our borders. As multi-generational Caymanians, we feel a responsibility to steward our family legacy and give back to the community. It has been a painful year financially for so many and we are grateful to our staff for the many sacrifices they have made. We also want to highlight that tourism businesses are not only critical to the Islands' economy and Government revenues, but positively contribute to the community. Our Clearly Cayman Resorts and Reef Divers teams serve in myriad ways including supporting the Sisters Islands Rock Iguana recovery programme, the Little Cayman Museum, beach cleanups, and lionfish control efforts."

For more information about CITA’s vaccination raffle, please visit:

https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/05/28/10000-cash-prize-up-for-grabs-in-new-vaccination-raffle/ or contact director@cita.ky.