MoBay’s breast cancer 5K gets int’l recognition

Western Bureau:

The Kiwanis Club of Providence Montego Bay’s Breast Cancer 5K Walk/Run for 2020 has received international recognition, capturing gold in Tier-2 at the recent Kiwanis International Awards ceremony.

Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, the 5K walk/run, which featured some 2,000 participants, raised $2 million to support the Jamaica Cancer Society’s breast cancer prevention programme, the Cornwall Regional Hospital, and breast cancer patients in St James.

Janice McGrowther, the distinguished president of the club who was a part of the team that made the submission for the award, is hoping the recognition will encourage more persons to come on board.

“It is a fantastic achievement because Kiwanis is a global organisation in over 80 countries. For us to come out on top in one of two tiers is really a recognition of the hard work that we have been doing over the past 11 years,” said McGrowther. “We have seen it grow over the years, especially in the number of participants.”

“Apart from last year, where financially we were dampened by the pandemic, our contributions to the Jamaica Cancer Society, as well as Cornwall Regional Hospital and other breast cancer survivors in St James, have grown over the years. We are hoping that, with this recognition, people will see the work of the project, come on board, and continue to support this worthy cause,” added McGrowther.

Michelle Tulloch, the co-chair of the organising committee, said that being forced to stage the walk/run virtually because of the pandemic was not easy. However, she believes the international recognition makes it all worthwhile.

“It was not easy. It was in 2020, the year of the pandemic, so many persons didn’t know how to transition online. Even though we had a few persons in Jamaica who understand virtual run, we had to do a lot of educating. We even had to push it 30 more days,” said Tulloch.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it being submitted for an award. We just wanted to continue the good work that we would have started. Some really good things came out of it, although it was extremely difficult. We were impressed at how diverse it was with the bike and wheelchair sections. Although we didn’t get a lot of bikers, the wheelchair participants really turned out, which was interesting,” added Tulloch.

Tulloch said they are hoping the virtual aspect will become a part of the project even after the pandemic is over and the physical run returns.

“I think we should. The virtual run opens opportunities for us to have other Kiwanis clubs participating from all over the island, as well as persons from overseas, who wants to participate. The very first ticket we sold came from Abu Dhabi. I don’t think the virtual run will ever go away because, to me, it’s the new way forward as the pandemic has seen many things transition to online. If anything, it should be an addition,” said Tulloch.