WiRe (Women in Reinsurance) announced today its donation of $1500 to fund a scholarship for a young, Bermudian female to participate in advanced race training at a Bermuda sailing club.
The scholarship is funded on behalf of WiRe by donations from WiRe board members Kathleen Faries, Head of Bermuda for Tokio Millennium Re AG, and Kathleen Reardon, CEO of Hamilton Re.
“We formed WiRe to support the professional advancement of women,” said Ms. Reardon. “We accomplish this by providing our members with educational, mentoring and networking opportunities throughout the year. However, we also want to see women achieve in the wider community so this scholarship was a great match for WiRe.”
“We’re pleased to provide this donation to allow a young female to pursue her sport,” said Ms. Faries. “We hope she will now be able to receive the training and experience she needs to not only excel in the sport of sailing but to use what she learns about herself and apply it to other areas of life.”
The idea to offer sailing scholarships for females came from the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) following the success of the America’s Cup Endeavour Program, a community sailing and education program launched in Bermuda in connection with the 35th America’s Cup presented by Louis Vuitton. While the AC Endeavour Program has achieved great success in introducing school children across all socioeconomic backgrounds to sailing, BODA recognized that the costs might be prohibitive for some to continue the sport after graduating from the program.
Tom Herbert Evans, Community Sailing Manager for the America’s Cup Event Authority, said: “Sailing is a unique sport where you must combine both physical techniques and strategic comprehension in order to succeed. This creates a great level playing field for all genders and you often see girls excel in sailing. I grew up sailing against a friend named Hannah Mills who recently won a Gold in Rio and was nominated ISAF World Sailor of the year. I recall her being one of the toughest competitors and rarely were any of the boys in front of her. Typically, there are less girls sailing than boys and we need to change that.”
Sylvia Oliveira, BODA Treasurer and event organizer, said, “We are grateful to Kathleen Faries, Kathleen Reardon and WiRe for providing this scholarship so a young, Bermudian female sailor can continue to train at the advanced club level.”
About WiRe
WiRe was formed in 2008 by professional women working in the reinsurance market in Bermuda and currently has 160 members. Its mission is to provide a platform for the professional development of women in the field of reinsurance through networking, education and informal mentoring.
About the America’s Cup Endeavour Programme and the America’s Cup The America’s Cup Endeavour Program is a youth-focused community sailing and education program in connection with the 35th America’s Cup presented by Louis Vuitton. The mission is to provide unique sporting and education opportunities through sailing for students across all socioeconomic backgrounds. The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851. In June 2017, Bermuda will host the 35th America’s Cup, with the iconic Great Sound as the racecourse.