Patricia Calnan talks this week with its new director of development, Elizabeth Marirea Ward.

For the new director of development, the task of "selling'' Council Partners to potential donors is a challenge because she is really "selling a dream, a cause'' -- that of ridding Bermuda of drug abuse.

"People certainly recognise the name of Council Partners, but there is still a need for everyone to understand that the only reason we raise money is so that we can directly finance the agencies that operate under our umbrella,'' says Elizabeth Marirea Ward, who was appointed to her post at the end of May.

She replaces Gordon Johnson who had been performing that role for both Council Partners and CADA (The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse). This move will enable him to concentrate his efforts on CADA which plans a greater emphasis on prevention programmes.

Noting that the Council Partners agencies comprise CADA, Fair Havens (the women's residential drug rehabilitation centre), PRIDE (Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education), the Bermuda Life Skills Group (and educational programme aimed at the Island's schools) and FOCUS (a walk-in centre in Hamilton where recovering addicts may seek help in returning to mainstream society), Mrs. Ward reveals that, in spite of the overwhelming success of Council Partners' original campaign to raise $5 million, the main thrust of her new job is still fundraising.

"We actually raised $5.2 million within one year, but I have to raise approximately $1 million per annum because our work here will continue long after the campaign money is spent.'' Justly proud that they only expend ten percent of their annual budget on fundraising -- a very small sum compared with comparable programmes in the US -- Council Partners is, nevertheless, at pains to convince the general public that if support is to continue to be wholehearted, accountability for every dollar spent is vital. Mrs. Ward sees this as one of her most important tasks.

"There is a seemingly never-ending demand for charity money from an increasing number of organisations, so it is absolutely vital that we are accountable and that donors and the public are given full details of how their money is spent.'' Acknowledging, too, that Council Partners, by its very nature, deals with problems that produce very strong emotions, Mrs. Ward believes these factors make it essential that the charitable trust is run as a business.

"As a Bermudian, people know me and I have been in the business community long enough to be known as being trustworthy -- but I have to be fully armed with accountability when I go around Bermuda asking individuals and organisations to donate funds. From the very beginning, Council Partners has brought in expertise -- both local and overseas -- to help us do that. Each agency that we serve has a business plan consultant and, in my opinion, are using some of the best minds in Bermuda! "They ensure that each charity presents its request for funding in a manner that's clearly understood by the Council Partners' board of governors. They are the people who determine the level of funding which will be allocated to each agency.

"I know from personal experience,'' she adds, "that corporate Bermuda appreciates our sense of `one voice', presenting requests in a logical manner.

It is difficult for busy firms to sift through a lot of badly presented, ill-timed requests for help -- even though the cause itself is almost always worthwhile.'' Noting that the recent Samuel Jackson Golf Class raised $121,000 and approximately $25,000 from the BIBA Expo Raffle, Mrs. Ward reveals that Council Partners is now in the third year of spending the original $5.2 million raised in the Capital Campaign.

"So, besides maintaining existing donors and answering their questions, I shall be creating a new donor base, approaching those people who were not approached the first time around and expanding our fundraising opportunities.

`We can make it work' "We shall also be assessing other possibilities in terms of embracing other agencies that may wish to join us, to come under our umbrella. We believe that forward-thinking of this kind is essential if we are to serve the community to the best of our ability.'' Mrs. Ward is pleased by the level of partnership that has developed in the community with organisations such as the Police Service, Employee Assistance Programme and teachers.

"We also work very closely with the National Drug Commission, of course, as they provide the strategy for the whole of Bermuda. We work to that plan as Council Partners believes very firmly that as the Island's benchmark organisation in the field of substance abuse, we fall within that plan by providing the services they require for their overall strategy.'' Mrs. Ward, who was educated at Mount Saint Agnes Academy and the Marguerite Bourgeois College in Montreal, has a degree in music. For eight years, she was the protocol and special events officer for the Bank of Bermuda, a post she left to come to Council Partners.

"I think I had the best job in the bank,'' she laughs, "I didn't have to do `debits and credits'! I was given an opportunity to introduce an environment of professionalism in providing venues and form for the clients we entertained. It also gave me a wonderful opportunity to get to know the community on all levels.'' From the beginning, Mrs. Ward was involved in Council Partners as a volunteer.

"I helped them launch their capital campaign at Harbour Nights three years ago and also helped them close it at Harbour Nights when we had reached our goal. I always felt that if I ever left the bank, Council Partners was the sort of organisation I could get involved with. So when they approached me in April, I decided the time had come to make a break with the bank. That was a difficult decision, but for some time, I had wanted to become more directly involved in the community.'' A born and bred Bermudian, Mrs. Ward's parents were well known in the entertainment business. "My father, Manuel Marirea...used to own the Clayhouse Inn. I used to meet all these fantastic people -- I can remember Stevie Wonder sitting in my living room long before he was famous!'' Admitting she felt "very proud'' to be asked to take on her role with Council Partners, Mrs. Ward says her Board of Governors is exceptionally supportive.

"Brian Duperreault is a wonderful chairman. When we did our latest presentation, he took time out to rehearse his part. I would also like to pay tribute to Janine Lines, who has been my mentor. I do think that when you are as committed to the family as we are, there is a commitment to do everything in your power to make the community a better, happier and safer place. I am fortunate to have a very hard-working board -- no danger of a rubber-stamping outfit here. Council Partners has a vital role to play in the well-being of our community and I have a firm belief that together, we can make it work.'' Elizabeth Marirea Ward