The third annual CIBC FirstCaribbean Walk for the Cure kicked off in Tortola before sunrise on Saturday, October 4. Photo: CIBC

Breast cancer screening. Photo: CIBC

Runners from CIBC FirstCaribbean and respective regional and local sponsors, Deloitte and Harneys lead participants in the Walk for the Cure in the BVI 2014. Photo: CIBC

CIBC FirstCaribbean hosts VI Cancer Society as part of fund raising and awareness campaign in Tortola. Photo: CIBC

(l-r) Nurse Mary Mitchell and Nurse Bernet Scatliffe provided free clinical breast screening for the VI Cancer Society at the Tortola branch of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank. Photo: CIBC

A scene from the activities. Photo: CIBC

CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank staff members, their families, and friends, along with regional event sponsors, Deloitte, local sponsors Harneys, and members of the Virgin Islands Cancer Society set out on a symbolic walk/run through Road Town in support of the fight against cancer.

Participants ranging in age from 6 to 60 walked or ran 5 miles from the Tortola branch of the bank to the foot of the hill at Great Mountain and back to the bank located next to the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park. The walk concluded with a light breakfast and the release of pink balloons in commemoration of those who lost their battle against cancer.

The walk was one of many similar events that took place over the weekend across the CIBC FirstCaribbean network of businesses in 16 territories in the Caribbean and in Canada at CIBC, the bank’s parent company which held it is annual Run for the Cure now in its 18th year.

Mrs Gloria Fahie, cancer survivor and president of the VI Cancer Society, commended the bank for its efforts to help to raise awareness of the disease.

“The VI Cancer Society applauds CIBC FirstCaribbean for its commitment to this initiative,” said Mrs Fahie. “The walk falls in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There are so many different types of cancers out there and breast cancer is a big thing here in the BVI. We need to do what we can to educate our community members about the risks and the disease.

“I want to thank Mrs Esther Persaud and Mrs Gwenette McMaster from the bank who were so active in coordinating this event and I encourage CIBC FirstCaribbean to keep up this effort. I appeal to the public to support this walk when it comes around again next year.”

The annual walk also serves as a fund raiser for the VI Cancer Society where donations from the public continue to be collected into an established account at the bank.

Donations can be made at branches in Tortola and Virgin Gorda, or by online payment for customers signed up to Internet Banking. The donation can be made from the customer’s account directly to the CIBC FirstCaribbean Walk For the Cure BVI account #2345150573, by selecting the “Register a Bill’ option. All funds will support the VI Cancer Society and their work with patients and their caregivers.

The CIBC FirstCaribbean bank staff in the BVI also underscored its ongoing support of the VI Cancer Society by hosting its second breast cancer awareness campaign. The campaign, run by the VI Cancer Society, included an information booth and an on-site breast screening service for bank staff and members of the public.

“This is a welcomed initiative considering that a lot of families in the BVI have been hit by all sorts of cancers,” said Ms Kathleen George of Tortola. Ms George took her lunch hour to get screened after reading about the initiative in the news.

Nurses Bernet Scatliffe and Mary Mitchell were kept busy for the full four hours of free clinical screening as women of all ages took advantage to get checked and become more knowledgeable about the different types of cancers to look out for.

“Most people don’t think about these things until it affects them,” said Nurse Mitchell. “We took the time to educate the visitors here today and to highlight the prevalent and deadly cancers which people don’t think about.”

“We had lots of questions which was very encouraging,” added Nurse Scatliffe. “We also shared information on diet and lifestyle modifications to help minimise the chances of getting cancer.”

“The overall response to our booth and the free screening has been good,” said Mrs. Jennifer Chichester, secretary of the VI Cancer Society. “The CIBC FirstCaribbean team has worked hard to bring this opportunity to their staff, their customers and the public.”

The bank’s awareness committee also hosts ‘Pink Fridays’ for bank staff as a means of raising funds internally, and other banking hall activities are planned for the Tortola and Virgin Gorda branches as a means of raising customer awareness and support for the VI Cancer Society.

The VI Cancer Society has a calendar of events for the month of October and includes a community walk, a fashion show, an evening social in Virgin Gorda, and the Paint the Town Pink Sunset Walk on October 31.