CIBC FirstCaribbean hosts eighth Walk for the Cure
CUPECOY — For the eighth consecutive year CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank will host the Walk for the Cure. The proceeds of the event – to be held on Saturday October 5 – will go to the Positive Foundation. Last year the fundraiser netted $14,400 for the Still Beautiful Foundation.
CIBC FirstCaribbean hosted a press conference at the venue of its regional platinum sponsor, the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Cupecoy. The Walk for the Cure takes place in all fifteen territories across the region where CIBC FirstCaribbean is established Country Manager Garth Sherwoood said at the press conference that the event is “an amazing demonstration of selflessness and caring,” adding that his staff is committed to the cause. So far, the event has raised $2 million in the region – a result of efforts by CIBC FirstCaribbean staff and donations raised from corporate sponsors. The first Walk for the Cure raised $30,000.
“We are aiming big again this year,” Sherwood said. “The funds raised will be used to assist those battling cancer in the Caribbean.”
This year’s goal is to raise $550,000 regionally – a number that will not only be met but also surpassed, according to Sherwood.
The bank’s charitable trust and FirstCaribbean International Trust Foundation, at the time chaired by the late Executive Chairman Michael Mansoor, took the initiative for the fundraiser. It is modeled after the Run for the Cure sponsored by CIBC Canada, the parent company of CIBC FirstCaribbean.
Sherwood proudly described the characteristics of the Walk for the Cure: “It is more than just a fundraiser. It is answering the call to be our brothers’ keepers. It is about providing comfort and care for many lives that are ravaged by this disease. It is about education. It is about early detection. It is about saving lives.”
This year’s Walk for the Cure will begin at the new CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank’s mortgage and loan center at Laguna View Professional Center on Welfare Road #44 in Cole Bay. Participants will cross the Simpson Bay bridge, continue along the Airport Road and then over the causeway bridge onto Union Road and back to the starting point.
Dr. Pedro Delgado, Senior Associate Dean at AUC said that “breast cancer awareness is of critical importance to us at the AUC and to the citizens of St. Maarten and the Caribbean region. It is not just breast cancer. There are many other cancers and the medical profession has improved methods of treating patients; their survival rate is up and recovery time is better. The key to fighting this disease, especially in an often silent disease like breast cancer, is early detection.”
Delgado said that 60 percent of AUC-graduates become family doctors. “They will know you the best and play a critical role in early detection. We expect our students to have a commitment to patients in the community they live in. As a community we can fight these diseases and win.”
Dr. Golden Jackson, Assistant Dean in charge of AUC’s Social and Community Engagement Department gave a brief overview of the university’s commitment to the community of St. Maarten through volunteer projects, like free clinical breast exams and checkups for blood pressure and levels of glucose and cholesterol. The date the volunteers gather during these checkups provide an insight in women’s health on the island.
“So far we have seen 300 people and the original goal was to see 500. Dr. Naira Chobanyan who is doing the clinical breast exams has said: we can’t stop there. We have to keep going,” Jackson said.
Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams spoke at the press conference in her role as the founder of the U 2 Can Move fitness program. U 2 Can move members will participate in the Walk for the Cure; a delegation from Curacao, where one of the original members founded a similar organization, will take part as well.
Petra Abdul-Hamid, Human Resources Supporting Officer at CIBC FirstCaribbean told the media that proceeds for this year’s event will go the Positive Foundation. Local sponsors are Dasani Water, Vivasign, Caribbean Gems, Sentinel, Sonesta Maho and Indulgence of the Sea.
Top photo caption L-R: Dr. Golden Jackson: Assistant Dean, Social & Community Engagement, AUC; Garth Sherwood, Country Manager, CIBC FirstCaribbean; MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, Founder, U 2 Can Move Fitness Program; Petra Abdul-Hamid, Human Resources Supporting Officer, CIBC FirstCaribbean; and Dr. Pedro Delgado, Senior Associate Dean, AUC. Photos by Julie Alcin.
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See more photos of the press conference on our Facebook page
Walk for the Cure takes place on September 30, 2017
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