Women of Valour raise funds for Cancer Society

(WoV): A basketball club for girls raised more than $1,500 for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society (CISC) at a bake sale that took place at A.L. Thompson’s on Saturday, 12 October. The Womenof Valor is a league of young ladies between the ages of nine and 23 years old who not only practice and play basketball together a few times a week, but also come together to pursue projects to help the wider community. All proceeds from the bake sale have gone towards the building of CISC’s new chemotherapy unit at the Cayman Islands Hospital.

The girls raised nearly $800 selling cakes, brownies and other bakedgoods but many generous passersby did not even purchase anything and instead provided charitable donations. Property and development consultancy BCQS International matched the proceeds making the total contribution to CISC almost $1,600.

Coach Redver Ebanks said, “We would like to thank the girls for their time and effort and our corporate sponsor BCQS International for their generosity. Being civic minded and giving back to the community are qualities that we try to cultivate amongst the young women in our club. We saw this as a perfect opportunity to help with a great cause.”

Ray Doxey, a father very much involved with Women of Valor, said, “Our organization helps mold young women into good citizens. Women of Valor isn’t just about playing basketball, it is a place where girls come together to learn about leadership and teamwork, as well as gaining a sense of purpose and focus.”

One member of the club, 16-year old Chloe Powery, commented, “The main aims of the Women of Valor is to keep girls busy and off the streets. I love playing basketball but it is more than that – the goal is to encourage girls to be productive and involved with something that is positive both for themselves and others. We decided to fundraise for the Cancer Society because Cayman has a lot of cancer patients and we wanted to help and give something back to the community.”

Jeremy Superfine, Director at BCQS International, commented: “We are delighted to be able support these young ladies with their fundraising for the Cancer Society’s new chemotherapy unit currently under construction. BCQS are construction and cost managers for this exciting project, so I can understand how difficult it must have been for those who have brought the project to the construction stage.

"Whilst the facility is only 1,000 square feet, it is a complex refurbishment project that will provide a more comfortable place to have treatment. Without the support of excellent contractors, material suppliers and design consultants who are contributing much of their time, this project would not have been possible to complete within the available budget. We thank the Women of Valor for their efforts in supporting this.”

The Cayman Islands Cancer Society: A non-profit organization formed in 1995, the Society is funded through charitable donations and its fundraising events. The mission of the Society is to increase awareness amongst the people of the Cayman Islands of cancer as a major health concern, to initiate positive change in all areas relating to cancer, to prevent the development of cancer and to counsel and support cancer patients and their families. For more information, visit www.cics.ky.