Fairmont Southampton gives $10k grant to Beyond Rugby

As part of its ongoing commitment to the Bermuda community, The Fairmont Southampton and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will provide a $10,000 grant to Beyond Rugby to support the organization’s programs targeting at-risk youth.  The grant is provided as part of the Fairmont Community Assistance and Responsibility to the Environment (CAREs) program that embodies Fairmont’s promise to have a positive and sustainable impact in the communities in which they do business.  

Sixty students from Dellwood Middle School and CedarBridge Academy participate in Beyond Rugby programme which includes an afterschool Homework Academy, meals, practice sessions, and Rugby matches across the island.  The Beyond Rugby Bermuda initiative is an innovative partnership between Bermuda’s Children’s services leader, Family Centre and the Bermuda Rugby Football Union.  Beyond Rugby is intended to engage at risk youth through guidance from nurturing adults, physical fitness, self-discipline and access to academic and emotional support services.

The Beyond Rugby Bermuda School Championship took place on May 3, 2013 at the TN Tatem Middle School, with T.N. Tatem winning the Middle School division and Cedarbridge Academy bringing home a spectacular win against Berkeley Institute in the High School tournament.  The Fairmont Southampton was proud to award the Malcolm K. Outerbridge, Jr. Memorial Trophy to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the Beyond Rugby Bermuda School Championship to this year’s MVP, Rory Dublin.  This annual trophy is named in honor of a Fairmont Southampton colleague’s son who was tragically murdered.

Shelley Meszoly, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing said, “The Fairmont Southampton is thrilled to commit support again in 2013 to the Beyond Rugby programme and The Family Centre as part of the Fairmont CAREs program.   It is rewarding and encouraging to see how the Beyond Rugby programme has given so many of Bermuda’s youths a positive, sports outlet.”

Fairmont Bermuda has supported the Beyond Rugby programme in several ways beyond the CAREs grant, including recently donating gently used Adidas fitness apparel for the young men to practice sports in.  Fairmont recognizes the importance of wellness during holidays and offers a Fairmont Fit service for guests, allowing them to borrow fitness apparel and footwear during their travels.  The apparel came from both The Fairmont Southampton and The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, and included shorts, shirts, and sneakers.

The two hotels also partnered with the Mid Atlantic Athletic Club (MAAC) to donate part-proceeds of the 36th annual Fairmont-to-Fairmont Race held in January 2013 to the Beyond Rugby programme. 

Martha Dismont, Executive Director of The Family Centre said, “We are so thankful for the partnership that we have with The Fairmont Southampton.  Our young people have been the beneficiaries of ‘Fairmont Fit’ apparel, as well as generous funding support to the Beyond Rugby programme. It is partnerships like this which are providing needed support to our youth and ensuring that they feel the support. Fairmont’s caring is ultimately helping us to place our youth on a path of success. We are very grateful for this generosity.”

The Fairmont CAREs programme grants seed funding to smaller, start up businesses and organizations as they strive to improve the socio-economic and environmental well-being of their community.   To date, CAREs has funded more than 20 projects identified by Fairmont colleagues throughout the world, including a micro-farming project for villagers in Kenya, the creation of an edible, inner-city schoolyard in Pittsburgh, the tagging and tracking of polar bears in northern Canada and the purchase of kitchen equipment to help teach a trade to developmentally challenged youth in Beijing.