THE Junior Chamber International (JCI) Guyana held their annual breast cancer awareness dinner on Saturday evening at the Grand Coastal Hotel, which saw the support of many organisations and individuals.

The Cancer Awareness Dinner has been around for the past six years and is aimed at raising awareness of cancer: supporting those who are fighting, respecting those who have conquered and saluting those who would have lost.
This year, the dinner was said to be in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal number three: “Good Health and Well Being,” and was executed under the theme “Fight the Fight, Find the Cure.”

At the event, JCI Guyana President, Kevin Cornette shared that JCI is a membership-based non-profit organisation of over 200,000 young people ages 18 to 40 in 5,000 communities and more than 100 countries around the world.

Each JCI Member, he said, shares the belief that in order to create lasting positive change, they must improve themselves and the world around them. They seek targeted solutions to the unique problems in their communities in order to build a better world while creating a global impact.

“Because there is a limit to what governments are able to achieve in society, as responsible citizens in a globalised world, JCI members take on the challenges around them through local development initiatives,” Mr Cornette said.

He further noted that these tailored projects require members to use strategic planning and critical planning to craft creative solutions to the problems of their communities and as such, JCI Members seek ways to live out their slogan, “Be Better”.

“We think critically about society’s greatest challenges and act on behalf of our communities to be part of the solution. We seek better solutions to build better communities, thus creating a better future,” he said.

“Our Mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. Our Vision is to be the leading global network of young active citizens,” Cornette emphasised.

Adding that, JCI Guyana annually seeks the support of both the private sector and governmental organisations, which makes it a success.

The dinner saw representation from several entities – Banks DIH Limited, Go Invest, BK International, Demerara Bank, Republic Bank, Demerara Tobacco Company Ltd., Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Business, Food For The Poor Inc., Bank of Guyana and the Cancer Institute, just to name a few.

Part of the proceeds from the dinner goes to the Cancer Institute to assist them in supporting the cause.