Optimist group donates to Jamaica cancer-fighting charity

CHaRM presented 20 care packages to the foundation at the National Chest Hospital on Saturday, February 13, 2021. The packages contained basic food items which also included nutritional drinks for children.

The CHaRM response to the needs of the foundation was made against the background of the COVID 19 pandemic which has affected the ability of parents to provide for their children diagnosed with cancer.

And perhaps quite fittingly Monday, February 15, 2021 was observed as International Childhood Cancer Day.

The Joshua Ramsay Cure and Conquer Foundation Limited, is a charitable organisation; committed to raising awareness of childhood cancers in Jamaica and while capitalising on opportunities to offer moral support to children who are diagnosed with cancer. The foundation was established in honour of Joshua Ramsay who after a five-year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, passed on September 10, 2019, at the age of nine years.

In his response to the gift items from CHaRM, the foundation’s founder Kenroy Ramsay, said: “There are children registered with the Foundation who are currently unable to attend school because of the side effects being experienced from chemotherapy/radiotherapy they would have undergone.

“Therefore, these care packages will greatly help the parents who are already strained financially.”

 The chairperson for CHaRM , Notoya Williams, stated: “We at CHaRM are committed to continuing our efforts to assist, especially in situations where children are affected by cancer, HIV and autism. So, there was no hesitation on our part to source and provide these packages for the Foundation.”