The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net 

The Cancer Society of Eleuthera’s fourth annual Hope Ball, while certainly a night of glamorous fundraising for the island, was also an event designed to bring attention to important topic – colorectal cancer.

The ball which has grown tremendously over the years was held last Saturday at the Wellness Centre in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera. 

The master of ceremony was Matthew Rolle, alongside his son Matthew Rolle II, who played the trumpet. The cocktail hour was hosted by Eleuthera’s very own Freedom Marching Band. 

The night kicked off with spoken word poetry from artist AurumShell, while Malikah Pinder serenaded the guests with a beautiful selection. 

As the annual Hope Ball is the Cancer Society of Eleuthera’s biggest fundraising event for the year, its purpose is two-fold. 

“Our main objective is to raise the much needed funds that will continue to assist the many residents of Eleuthera. As we are a non-profit organisation, our goal is to be in a position where we are able to assist any resident on the island of Eleuthera as they walk through our doors. Should they need mammograms, ultrasounds, or plane tickets to get these services, our aim is to help those in need,” Chinnici McDonald, Administrator of CSE, told Tribune Health. 

The second objective for the event was to highlight Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is recognised worldwide throughout March. The organisation hopes its continued awareness propels people to take action towards prevention.

“There were many highlights from the night. The first and most significant was the amount of cancer survivors that attended the event,” said Ms McDonald. “Some of those that were unable to attend sent family support in their absence. The event is all about them, so it warmed our hearts to see such a large number of cancer survivors. We also had a few visitors from Canada that came and supported the cause. The evening was filled with laughter and dancing.

“The event was greatly attended. However, there is always room for more support from locals and businesses. This work that we do is never-ending, and until cancer has been completely eradicated from the face of the earth we will always need the support of everyone. Therefore, in all that we do, we give thanks and pray for continuous success for our future events.”

The CSE hope to raise $15,000 from the event that will go towards assisting with travel and testing, such as mammograms, ultrasounds or PET scans, which can range from $1,200 to $1,500. 

“We have many other events planned throughout the year. Because Eleuthera is such a long island, many of our events will be spread out to incorporate as many residents as possible,” explained Ms McDonald.

“We have the Tea & Hat Show slotted for April to be held North Eleuthera and a spoken word monologue in May. This is new to our calendar of events. It is our hope that we will use this platform to continue to bring awareness and educate the public on the cancers that plague our community. October (Breast Cancer Awareness) month continues to be our busiest of all months with ‘Boob Talk’, ‘Pink Fridays’, and our annual ‘Walk for a Cure’. Our year ends with our Christmas production of ‘Music in the Gardens’.”