By Antonio Pilgrim, courtesy The Barbados Advocate
Barbados, W.I. GERMAN Automotive giant Audi has thrown its support behind one of the most valuable charities in Barbados to launch an exciting, quarter million dollar plus event that has the potential to help save the lives of countless Barbadians from the ravages of breast cancer.
At a press conference yesterday Audi, through its local agents, McEnearney Quality Inc, a member of the ANSA McAl group of companies, joined the Barbados Cancer Societys Breast screening programme in staging the inaugural Audi Invitational Golf Tournament at the Sandy Lane Golf & Country Club which will be held on September 30th 2007.
The tournament will feature 18 four-member amateur golf teams competing for a number of premium prizes, including an unprecedented prize of a Audi TT Sports Coupe valued at BD$250 000 for the first lucky golfer to score a “Hole in One” on the 18th hole of the world class course.
The event is expected to attract support from across the islands private sector with companies donating thousands to the Societys breast screening programme. Each team will donate $3 000 as an entrance fee towards the cause. The fund will go towards the purchase of a much needed, state-of-the-art Breast Screening Mammography Film processor which the charity notes will be instrumental in the early detection of breast cancer.
Alex Mackensie, Chief Operation Officer of Mc Enearney Quality Inc., said his company was hopeful that the event would not only serve to raise money for the programme, but would also raise awareness of the disease. “The Barbados Cancer Society’s Breast Screening Programme has been doing some extremely important and, indeed life saving work by providing a critical resource to the women and men of Barbados, especially as most people are unaware that men can also contract breast cancer“, he said. “As such McEnearney Quality Inc. and our parent company, ANSA McAL Barbados, are proud to be staging this event to assist them in achieving their mission to educate the public about the importance of cancer screening because early detection can and do save lives.”
This initiative by McEnearney Quality comes on the heels of recent reports by Dr. Shirley Jhagroo, Chairman of the Society’s Breast Screening Programme, who said the initiative had already exceeded expectations, having provided almost 20 000 Mammograms after five years in operation.
Against this background, Mackensie pledged his organisation’s continued support to the society’s programme, adding that the hope was to make the Audi Invitational Golf Tournament an annual, fund raising activity.
The event comes the day before the official start of breast Screening which is traditionally recognised in October.
