‘Walk for the Cure’
CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank will host its third annual lapathon ‘Walk for the Cure’ on Sunday.
Bank employees, along with representatives of the Jamaica Cancer Society, their families and friends from 13 branches along with central administrative and operational teams on the island, will walk 10 laps at Emancipation Park, Kingston. This year, the Jamaica Observer is a sponsor of the event.
The Walk for the Cure lapathon in Jamaica coincides with similar activities across 18 Caribbean countries in which the bank operates, as well as the annual ‘Run for the Cure’ event in Canada, which is organised by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and sponsored by CIBC.
The regional institution will be hosting the event that began as a tribute to the communities it serves, when it marked the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2012. Since then, the event has grown from strength to strength by bringing together local cancer support services, other corporate entities and the public in general as leading participants in fundraising and walk activities in each country.
Nigel Holness, managing director of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Jamaica, said that the bank was pleased to partner with the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), beneficiary of sums raised at the event, for the third consecutive year.
He commended the JCS and the Observer for “doing a fantastic job” in raising awareness and providing treatment for cancer and said that the Bank believed that there is strength in numbers.
“We believe that together, we can have an even greater impact in increasing awareness of the disease, raising funds for cancer care, treatment and research, showing support for cancer survivors and remembering those who have passed,” Holness said.
Employees of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank across the region held fund raising events leading up to the Walk for the Cure. Holness said he was particularly proud of the staff here in Jamaica, who divided themselves into teams and hosted a series of novel events raising over J$1.4 million.
This sum and the total raised through contributions to Sunday’s walk, will all benefit the JCS. Since its inception in the Caribbean, close to US$150,000 has been raised across the region for early detection and general education programmes in an effort to provide greater awareness of this disease.
This year, the bank will build on the partnership forged with local cancer organistions to continue to provide financial and other support to persons in the region affected by cancer.
“The importance of finding a cure for cancer and the need for ongoing research to halt the devastating impact of this disease on the lives and livelihoods of millions of families across the globe, continues to find a voice through the 3,000-strong employee base of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and the social programmes of its parent company, CIBC,” Holness said.
