During the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays, the Eleuthera Cancer Society saw several agencies and organizations step up to the plate, giving needed donations to enhance the work ongoing to assist people in Eleuthera afflicted with the disease, and to promote education and awareness. Leadership at the Eleuthera Cancer Society graciously accepted the donations, and highlighted the importance of more organizations partnering with them in this way to make the continuation of their important work and outreach, possible.
During the month of November, staff groups throughout the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism took on different ‘acts of kindness’ initiatives, shared, Manager of the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) office located in Governor’s Harbour, Jacquelyn Gibson. “What we decided to do as a staff, with cancer being so high on the island, and all of us in this office having been touched by cancer in some way – we wanted to give back. So, we gave a cash donation to the Eleuthera Cancer Society,” said Ms. Gibson. The donation was formally presented to Mrs. Sherrin Cooper, president of the Eleuthera Cancer Society on Wednesday, November 28th, on the grounds at the Ministry of Tourism office.
“I’ve served as president there,” said Ms. Gibson, “So, I have a passion. Glenda Johnson also served in the past as Secretary to the board, and other staff members, including myself have all been touched by cancer with family members passing away. We all have a passion for wanting to help make a difference, so, that’s what we want to do.” President of the Eleuthera Cancer Society, Mrs. Sherrin Cooper, thanked the staff at MOT, and explained why she hoped more agencies would follow suit, “I want to say thank you to the Ministry of Tourism, on behalf of the Cancer Society, for their generous donation to us. I want to encourage all other departments of government, and quasi-government agencies to give support to the Cancer Society of Eleuthera, because the organization really tries to assist persons who come needing assistance for cancer treatment, and sometimes just a ticket into Nassau, and we are constantly giving to them. We don’t ever want to say that we don’t have it, so we really appreciate any donations coming to us.”
On Friday, November 30th, Eleuthera Petroleum 2010 Ltd. (EPL) hosted the Darold Miller show at the Seven Eleven location in Gregory Town, and during their special Christmas promotion event, also presented a $500 donation to the Eleuthera Cancer Society. In response, Eleuthera Cancer Society president, Mrs. Sherrin Cooper expressed, “It was a most pleasant surprise and so much appreciated, because we are always in need of funds for the people that require assistance, as well as our work in raising awareness, and education. We want to really encourage corporate Eleuthera to support the Eleuthera Cancer Society, as we are not subsidized by government in any way.”
During the Cancer Society’s Fun Day, Music in the Garden and Grand Raffle event hosted at the Wellness Center in Palmetto Point on Saturday, December 1st, representatives from the Kiwanis Club also presented Mrs. Cooper with a donation for the Eleuthera Cancer Society.
Past president of the Cancer Society in Eleuthera, and current advisor to the board, Ms. Jacqueline Gibson, in response to the recent instances of several organizations and businesses making contributions to the Cancer Society, stated, “They are coming forward at a time like this when we have a president who is a retired nurse, so coupled with her business acumen and her experience in the healthcare field, I truly believe that we have the right formula to make a difference. All we need is for the community to step forward. They’ve done a lot, but to do a little more, for us to really drive our message of awareness, and drive our desire to give back, to be our brother’s keepers. They say it takes a community, and we want the community to band together to take care of all of us. It’s all about partnerships, and with partnerships we can make a really big difference.”
