KINGSTON, Jamaica — The 19th staging of the annual Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run is set for Sunday, February 19, 2017.

The run is being held under the auspices of the Sagicor Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Sagicor Group Jamaica, that provides support to child-related health institutions and charitable organisations, through their mantra, ‘Caring, Inspiring, Serving’.

According to a news release from Sagicor, the Bethlehem Home for abandoned babies and children, operated by Missionaries of the Poor, the Spanish Town Hospital and Mandeville Hospital paediatric units were selected to receive equipment and supplies from the Sagicor Foundation in 2017.

Dubbed the largest 5k road race per capita in the world, the run has raised approximately J$220 million since its inception in 1999. The money raised has been used to purchase much-needed equipment for charities such as Sophie’s Place & Mustard Seed Communities; The University Hospital of the West Indies; Jamaica AIDS Support for Life; Cornwall Regional, University Hospital and Kingston Public Hospitals; Victoria Jubilee Hospital Neo Natal Care Unit, among others.

Ingrid Card, vice president, Sagicor Group Jamaica and director, Sagicor Foundation Jamaica, commented on the force behind the road race: “Sigma Corporate Run is a huge highlight of our year. It takes a lot of effort and team work to pull off a race this large. But in the end it gives our volunteers and team member’s great pride to make a positive contribution to the lives of our nation’s children.”

Last year, nearly 24,000 people registered to walk, run or wheelchair — with 100 per cent of proceeds earned donated to children with cancer across the island, the Jamaica Cancer Society and the Black River Hospital.