Maples Group provides laptops to GirlForce 100 Mentees

100 Women in Finance (“100WF”), a global finance industry organization, announces that The Maples Group recently donated twenty-five new HP laptops to GirlForce 100 mentees from John Gray High School and Clifton Hunter High School. GirlForce 100 is 100WF’s local Investing in the Next Generation program partner.

The new laptops were sourced locally in partnership with Office Supply, who kindly offered a discount on each laptop in support of the initiative. The programme mentees, all female high school students, were excited to receive their new laptops at their homes via socially distanced direct delivery by NCI Cayman Islands, who also extended a generous delivery discount as part of this collaboration.

Christina Bodden, a Partner at Maples Group, a 100 Women in Finance Global Association Board member and a co-founder of GirlForce 100, worked with the schools to identify a significant technology gap among some of the GirlForce 100 mentees which prompted the donation. “To continue to support our mentees with consistent mentoring, GirlForce 100 has pivoted to digital programming amid the COVID-19 health crisis. As part of this transition, we identified a significant technology gap among our GirlForce 100 mentees. We needed to bridge this gap, to ensure our mentees could participate in their schools’ online learning platforms while also effectively supporting our mentees through virtual programming and digital mentoring. On behalf of 100 Women in Finance and GirlForce 100, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Maples Group for supporting the mentee network in our participating local schools. 100 Women in Finance is additionally grateful that its members and staff joined Maples Group in making donations to GirlForce 100, helping to make the purchase of the laptop computers possible”.

Matthew Gardner, Cayman Islands Managing Partner of Maples and Calder, the Maples Group's law firm added, "We are delighted to support GirlForce 100 and commend them on their outstanding efforts in arranging this important initiative for local students. The Maples Group is committed to supporting the Cayman Islands community and providing assistance to benefit the educational needs of our youth has long been a core focus of our philanthropic efforts".

Barbara Conolly, MLA and Councillor for Education, Youth, Finance and Economic Development, said, "During these most challenging times, it is even more important that the public sector partner with the private sector to provide opportunities for our students. As the Councillor responsible for education, I am ecstatic that one of Cayman's largest youth mentoring networks, GirlForce 100, was able to receive the technology they needed. I am proud to extend thanks on behalf of the Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education and myself to the Maples Group for sponsoring these efforts. As the Premier said in one of the press briefings ‘We are all in this together,’ and indeed, partnerships such as these speak to how we can join forces and assist our community."

GirlForce 100 delivers pre-career programming and mentorship to diverse, high potential Caymanian high school students. GirlForce 100 pairs local 100 Women in Finance members with girls ages 13-18, from John Gray High School and Clifton Hunter High School, who have indicated an interest in a career in finance and have demonstrated notable potential meriting their placement. Through mentorship, GirlForce 100 guides the mentees in the development and progression of their career paths leading them to success.

GirlForce 100 reaches, inspires and supports pre-career women of all backgrounds, to become the finance industry’s leadership pipeline. This initiative is an important strategic element in 100WF’s 30x40 Vision, in which women will perform 30% of the finance industry’s investment and executive team roles by year 2040.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming part of GirlForce 100 please contact GirlForce@100women.org.