In the Community

Sol Caribbean Limited is bringing the considerable weight of its organisation to bear in the fight against childhood cancer with their generous Bds$10,000 sponsorship of the Optimist Club of Barbados South’s upcoming cancer walk.

Being held on Sunday February 12, 2012, the “Sol Optimist Love Walk” is a fundraising drive aimed at raising financial support for the Optimist Club of Barbados South’s Childhood Cancer Campaign, which has been in operation for some time.

As part of the Optimist International Childhood Cancer Campaign, Optimist clubs around the world were asked to sponsor a walk to raise awareness about the seriousness of childhood cancer, and the level of treatment required, in addition to raising funds to assist health organisations in each country to fight its various forms and strains.

In looking around for a local corporate sponsor, the Optimist Club had to look no further than Sol, the Caribbean’s largest independent oil company, operating across the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname, Belize, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Dominican Republic.

Gina Cummins, Group Marketing and Communications Coordinator with Sol Caribbean Limited, said Sol is always looking for ways to give back to the community and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this worthwhile cause:

“Childhood cancer is a very serious issue and requires considerable effort and financing on the part of health organisations and in the case of Barbados, the Ministry of Health. The financial burden incurred by these organisations is quite considerable, which makes it difficult to provide the absolute level of treatment they would like. Since its establishment 7 years ago, Sol has remained committed to providing to various causes in the communities of the 15 territories within which we operate. As we acknowledge our 7^th year of operations across the region, we will be partnering with similar groups to support: environmental, energy and community related projects. This support will continue all throughout the year and is Sol’s way of saying Thank You for choosing Shell, Shell V-Power and Sol’s extensive product line.”

In accepting the generous donation, President of the Optimist Club of Barbados South, Michael Jules, said they were extremely grateful for Sol’s support:

“The Optimist Club of Barbados South has been actively involved in the fight against childhood cancer for a number of years, with a view to improving the lives of Barbados’ cancer stricken youth, as well as putting programs in place to assist with early detection and treatment. Any financial support which aids in these efforts is therefore extremely helpful to our cause and as such we would like to thank Sol for providing us with this most valuable contribution.”