Sunshine Insurance Vice President of Operations, Shelly Wilson (far left) poses with the beneficiaries of Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend and VP of Development, Dwayne Swaby (far right) during yesterday’s cheque presentation. (Photo/Chakita Archer)
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NASSAU, Bahamas – Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend (SIRW) on Monday donated
$50,000 to five local cancer groups.
The money will be used to carry out genetic testing,
purchase portacaths and assist Family Island cancer patients.
On Monday during
a news conference at its headquarters, senior officials of Sunshine Insurance
presented five $10,000 cheques to the Cancer Society of The Bahamas, the Cancer
Association of Grand Bahama, Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, the
Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF) and the Princess Margaret
Hospital Foundation.
Since 2010, SIRW
has donated more than a quarter-million dollars to those beneficiaries – all of
whom work to fight cancer.
“Today, we are here to fulfill our ultimate mandate
– to provide meaningful donations to the five named race weekend
beneficiaries,” said Sunshine Insurance VP of Operations, Shelly Wilson.
“As we present
the proceeds from the January 2015 Race Weekend today, we encourage the public
to always remain mindful of the underlying purposes of the race – firstly to
raise meaningful funding and secondly to increase public awareness on
prevention and cure for cancer.
Honorary Chair of the Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race
for the Cure®, Wille Moss thanked Sunshine Insurance and accepted the cheque on
behalf of the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama.
“It means more
than words can say to us in Grand Bahama to be one of the recipients . . . of the
generosity that has been shown by Sunshine Insurance, Marathon Bahamas and the
Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure®,” she said.
Left to right: Dwayne Swaby, Willie Moss, and Shelly Wilson
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“Because of the
generous donations that we have received over the years from this event the
Comfort Haven – our centre in GB – has been able to expand from not just a
daycare facility but to a hospice as well, to offer a haven for the comfort of
those who will not make it through to survive the battle. I cannot tell you how
much this means to us to be able to have this donation made to the Cancer
Association of Grand Bahama and I hope there will be many more supporters this
year.”
Cancer Society of The Bahamas President, Lovern
Wildgoose also thanked Sunshine Insurance for the donation and explained how
some of the funds are used.
“We have
patients coming in from the Family Islands staying there free of charge while
they are doing their treatment because they have nowhere to stay. Oftentimes,
we have to say there’s no room in the inn. So, this donation will go a long way
in helping to defray the cost of the Cancer Society and the Cancer Caring
Centre. Again, thank you and we look forward to being partners for a very long
time,” she said.
President of Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support
Group, Andrea Sweeting, who accepted the donation on behalf of her organization
thanked the insurance company for making it easier to help cancer patients.
“I know for a
fact that all of the NGOs are truly pleased. One of the things I’d like to say
is that at Sister Sister, our main mandate is to give a portacath – the
instrument that is surgically implanted into our women and the chemotherapy is
administered through. So, once everybody is happy in that aspect we are happy
to assist them. You have made everything so much easier for us [particularly]
when we have to go out there and actually ask corporate sponsors to assist us.”
President of the BBCIF, Dionisio D’Aguilar noted
that women in The Bahamas have an “exceptionally high prevalence of breast
cancer.”
Left to right: Dwayne Swaby, Andrea Sweeting, and Shelly Wilson
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He said it is BBCIF’s goal is to determine why and
to allow women to take action to prevent cancer.
The BBCIF allows Bahamian women to be tested for the
BRCA1 gene at a “very small fraction of the cost.”
“I think it costs $4,000-$5,000 to have this genetic
test done and they do it for $100. So, the money that is raised here today goes
towards covering those costs and we have tested in excess of 1,000 women and
it’s allowing us to scientifically determine why cancer is so prevalent in
Bahamian women,” said Mr. D’Aguilar.
Meantime,Thelma Rolle, PMH Foundation spokesperson pledged
her group’s support to SIRW.
“We’ve been with the team from day one and we pledge
our commitment to be a part of it as a benefactor and also as a participant of
Marathon Bahamas,” she said.
“This contribution, over the years, has helped us
with the procurement of our digital mammogram machine and also . . . to
strengthen the access of care for diagnostics for patients coming to the Princess
Margaret Hospital and also to ensure that there is comfort in the oncology
center, treatment, you name it. So, the hospital pledges our continued support.”
SIRW got its start in January 2010 as a corporate
initiative.
The goal was to
bring about community awareness of health-related issues.
On January
16-17, the company will host its 7th Marathon Bahamas event and the
6th Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure®.
Mrs. Wilson
thanked the sponsors, volunteers, government agencies and participants for
their assistance through the years, particularly in making the January event a
success.
“We encourage
corporate sponsors, group teams, walkers and runners to continue – and where
possible – to increase their support of the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend. It
truly does make a significant and tangible difference in the lives of Bahamians,”
she said.
To register for
Marathon Bahamas, visit www.marathonbahamas.com.