Miss Jamaica World 2010, Chantal Raymond lends a hand to the Jamaica Cancer Society
Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter (Gleaner)
Entertainer Lloyd Lovindeer (centre) chats with (from left) William Aiken, Carol Blair, administrative director of Jamaica Cancer Society, Chantal Raymond, Miss Jamaica World 2010, and Lincoln Robinson, chairman of the fund-raising committee at the Doctors and Friends on Stage for Cancer 2011 media launch at the Corutleigh Hotel and Suites on Friday
With a lofty fund-raising target, the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) and Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) are hoping that Doctors and Friends Onstage For Cancer will be a successful event.
Speaking at the launch of the event Friday morning at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, New Kingston, committee chairman Lincoln Robinson said the organisation hopes to raise $23 million from its $63-million budget through fund-raising activities.
“The society will be seeking to generate $23 million through fund-raising to support the education, counselling and screening work of the cancer society,” he told those in attendance.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Carol Blair, administrative director of the JCS, said that although 2010 was a challenging year, the JCS hoped to reach its fund-raising target with the help of its latest venture.
“We are hoping that the boost that we are getting from Wealth Magazine and the sponsors and the celebrities on-board that we will make our target,” she said.
She further explained that other ventures like Relay For Life, a golf tournament in April, the Keeping Abreast Luncheon, the sale of Christmas cards and seals, along with membership would also help the organisation reach its target.
The remainder of the JCS’s budget is usually funded by its screening facility.
Although the aim is to generate income, Garth Walker, chairman of Creative Media and Events, which operates Wealth Magazine, said services from the magazine would be free.
“From last year, Leighton Davis (managing director of Creative Media and Events) and I decided that for 2011 we have to really give back to the less fortunate, so we were pretty much thinking about which project to actually get involved in,” Walker told The Gleaner.
“The Cancer Society contacted us about being part of this Doctors and Friends Onstage. We are pretty much contributing our time and not really charging to do the whole planning and execution of the event. We are not gaining from it, everything can’t be for profit.”
When the event kicks off on March 6 on the lawns of Jamaica House, St Andrew, there will be performances from artistes such as Tami Chynn, Tessanne Chin, Alaine, Maurice Gordon, Lovindeer, and others. There will also be performances from medical personnel like Dr Michael Abrahams, Dr Winston De La Haye, Dr Aggrey Irons, and others.
Miss Jamaica World 2010 Chantal Raymond was also on hand to announce her support. She said that she would be doing a fashion show alongside past Miss Jamaica winners Regina Beavers and Brittany Lyons, as well as other finalists in the competition.
While giving jokes about the Manatt-Dudus Commission of Enquiry, Lovindeer also pledged his support for the event.
“On behalf of the entertainers we are proud to be part of this very serious event. I really look forward to being part of it. It feels good to be giving back,” he said.
