Hawks Cay Resort, an iconic resort destination in the Florida Keys, donated 100 room nights worth more than $45,000 to Miami’s Jackson Health Foundation, as part of the organization’s “Season of Gratitude” initiative to thank health care workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation was made as part of the resort’s annual Heroes Salute program, which honors military, firefighters, law enforcement, first responders, and medical personnel throughout the fall season with discounts, special programming, and weekly tribute events.
The donation took place at the Jackson Memorial Medical Center campus. Fifty employees including nurses, respiratory therapists and laboratory technicians, selected from across Jackson Health System, were invited to the event for what they expected to be a training session, but were surprised with a celebratory event and given gift boxes that were simultaneously opened to reveal several gifts and a two-night stay at Hawks Cay Resort.
“It takes a special person to be able to do what these health care workers have been doing for the last eight months. It takes integrity and commitment to show up every day with a positive attitude to fight this pandemic,” said Sheldon Suga, Hawks Cay Resort vice president managing director. “Our team at Hawks Cay is ready to welcome these heroes so they can recharge and finally take a hard-earned break with their loved ones.”
Every year from mid-August to mid-December, Hawks Cay Resort hosts its Heroes Salute program where heroes of all kinds visit the resort for some rest and relaxation with family and friends. In its 12th season, the program has become well-known for doing more for heroes than just offering a discount. Hawks Cay Resort is dedicated to honoring this community of heroes and in the past has contributed to making special memories including gifting a $30,000 destination wedding to a military couple. This year, the resort wanted to bring much-earned attention to the work of healthcare heroes and selected Jackson Health Foundation, the fundraising arm of Jackson Health System, the nation’s largest and most respected public healthcare network.
“For the past eight months, our frontline healthcare workers have been working tirelessly to save and treat patients battling COVID-19. Many of them have not been able to take any time off and spend quality time with their families,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “Thanks to these generous donations from Hawks Cay Resort, these healthcare workers will be able to spend some much-deserved rest and relaxation at this beautiful resort.”
For more information about Hawks Cay Resort’s Heroes Salute, please visit www.hawkscayheroes.com.
About Jackson Health System
Jackson Health System is one of the nation’s largest public health systems, with a mission of providing one standard of high quality care to all residents of Miami-Dade County. A nonprofit academic medical system, Jackson consists of its centerpiece, Jackson Memorial Hospital, which is home to Ryder Trauma Center and the Miami Transplant Institute; Holtz Children’s Hospital; Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial; Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital; Jackson North Medical Center; Jackson South Medical Center; and Jackson West Medical Center, currently under construction in the City of Doral and scheduled to open in early 2021; multiple primary care and specialty care centers; a network of UHealth Jackson Urgent Care centers, two long-term care nursing facilities; and a network of mental health facilities.
About Hawks Cay Resort
Hawks Cay Resort is a one-of-a-kind destination resort on Duck Key in the Middle Florida Keys, roughly halfway between Key Largo and Key West at mile marker 61. A recipient of the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award and a member of the Preferred Hotel Group Lifestyle Collection, this 60-acre, tropical destination is easily accessible by car, boat or plane yet feels worlds away from everyday life. Alongside the aquamarine water of the Atlantic Ocean, guests enjoy offshore, flats and backcountry fishing; diving; kayaking and standup paddle boarding programs; Cliff Drysdale tennis program, and the only resort-based Dolphin Connection program with complimentary daily viewings in the continental U.S. The resort boasts 177 guestrooms and 250 two- and three-bedroom villas, a full-service marina, six restaurants, saltwater lagoon, five swimming pools, kid and teen clubs and the award-winning Calm Waters Spa. For groups and events, the resort offers multiple outdoor venues, plus 20,000 square feet of oceanfront meetings and event space. For more information, please visit https://www.hawkscay.com/.
