The Tribune

FOR the first time in its history, Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend (SIRW) has doubled its annual donation, giving away $100,000 to four cancer charities.

During the official launch of the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure® 5K event on Monday, Sunshine Insurance, which is the lead organiser and sponsor for the event and Marathon Bahamas, representatives donated $25,000 each to the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, the Cancer Society of Grand Bahama, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group.

The donation came at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

“For the past five years, our efforts have allowed us to donate $50,000 to our beneficiaries. It gives me a great sense of pride to announce that this year, for the first time in the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend’s history, we have doubled that allocation and are today donating a total of $100,000 to the charities,” said Sunshine Insurance VP of development Shelly Wilson.

“I would be remiss if I did not thank our many incredible sponsors . . . for their generous donations. None of this would be possible without them. I would also like to thank all of you – our participants who register, volunteer and donate your money and time to our cause.”

Mrs Wilson noted that as her company’s race has grown, so has the public’s appreciation for what it does.

“Despite the many years that have passed, we have not lost sight of why we do this, and that is to raise awareness about a disease that has claimed the lives of too many of our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and even fathers,” she said.

“Fighting breast cancer is not a job for one person or even one organisation. It literally takes a village to make an impact. The Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure is much more than a race. It’s a movement. It’s also our primary fundraising event, and the money we raise is donated to local cancer organisations for their various outreach programmes.”

Mrs Wilson urged Bahamian women to get regularly screened for the disease by having mammograms and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

Susan G Komen Bahamas honorary chairperson, Willie Moss, who is a 25-year breast cancer survivor, thanked Sunshine Insurance for continuing to bring awareness to the disease, particularly to those who might not think of getting themselves checked.

“Your body talks to you. It tells you when you’re not well. Awareness is what we want to focus on. Without Sunshine Insurance, we would not have touched so many lives,” she said. “I want everyone to come out [in January]. It’s a wonderful experience. [Cancer] is not a death sentence. Not all of us make it out, but if we get the word out, we can save more lives.”

During her speech, Mrs Moss reminded the government that it promised to deliver on a national cancer registry, but that promise, to date, has still not been fulfilled.

Cancer Society of The Bahamas founder Susan Roberts said she is grateful for the “incredible” donation, noting that the Cancer Society represents individuals with all types of cancer in people young and old. She agreed with Mrs Moss that the time has come for a national registry.

“We started over 42 years ago. It’s now 42 years later. It’s rather embarrassing. This is a serious call. The Ministry of Health has serious problems and this is an essential thing that should happen,” she said.

President of the Cancer Society of Grand Bahama Lorine Miller said cancer seems to be “at an all-time high” in Grand Bahama and her organisation is doing all it can to help residents on the island.

Komen Bahamas is scheduled for Saturday, January 19, 2019. To register, visit www.komenbahamas.org.