MONTEGO BAY, St James — January 18 is the new date for the Kiwanis Club of Providence-Montego Bay 5K Run/Walk/Wheelchair Breast Cancer Awareness event.

Initially slated for October 26 last year, it was postponed as the country prepared for the slow-moving Hurricane Melissa. Lead organiser Nadine Spence said the needs of cancer patients remain urgent.

“The people still need support; they’re still ailing and they still need the help as they fight the dreaded disease,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“Not because we are impacted by a hurricane means the illness has stopped; they need to recover,” she added.

For nearly a decade, the team from Kiwanis Club of Providence-Montego Bay have raised funds to assist breast cancer patients. Organisers felt the event had to go on even though sections of the western city were hammered by the Category 5 storm on October 28.

“Maybe if it was something else we might have cancelled, but this is something that is deserving of determination, compassion, resilience and continuity — very important,” Spence said.

“The impact of the hurricane has doubled their troubles so we have to really try and help,” she stated.

In a show of solidarity the Reach to Recovery team from Kingston’s Pink Run event has stepped in and provided organisers of the Montego Bay event with much-needed support.

“They gave us $1 million in support of our cause here in Montego Bay,” a grateful Spence disclosed.

“We never expected that, honestly, because everybody — when they do their fund-raiser — they want everything to be directed to their individual causes; and I thought that was exceptional,” she said.

Chairman of the organising team for the Kingston event, Sandra Samuels explained why they were able to provide financial support to the Montego Bay event.

“We had surpassed our target and we thought it would be only fitting to contribute,” she told the
Observer.

“Breast cancer still a keep in Montego Bay and so we decided to donate a portion of the earnings towards their project for breast cancer,” she added.

Samuels added that $500,000 was also donated to another effort in St Elizabeth being spearheaded by Janet Kaloo.

Meanwhile, corporate Jamaica has also been showing up for the Montego Bay event. According to Spence, their support has strengthened since the postponement. For example, telecommunications company Digicel, which initially came on board as a silver sponsor, has now elevated its involvement to title sponsor. Through Digicel Foundation tokens will be provided to participants, further enhancing the event’s impact and reach.

Spence stressed that the run/walk is not merely an entertainment event but one rooted in compassion, resilience and continuity.

“Persons actually die from the illness, and when you participate it means that you are contributing to somebody’s recovery and somebody’s restoration to health,” she appealed.

Participants are also being encouraged to view their involvement as a direct act of support for those struggling with the dreaded disease.

“I would want persons to think of it as assisting someone to restore themselves to good health,” Spence said.

She explained that all registrations remain valid, and urged participants to come out early for the run, walk and wheelchair event, in support of the cause.