Members of the BVI Cancer Society at Peter Island Resort and Spa last evening November 8, 2014. Photo: VINO

General Manager of Peter Island Resort and Spa Wilbert A. Mason and President of the BVI Cancer Society Gloria A. Fahie. Photo: VINO

The auction in progress. Photo: VINO

Some of the attendees of the auction. Photo: VINO

Several patrons to the event. Photo: VINO

Persons taking advantage of a discounted massage. Photo: VINO

A scene from the Peter Island Resort and Spa cancer fundraiser event. Photo: VINO

On auction were services of the Peter Island Resort and Spa, The Moorings and other establishments – including stays, dinners, massages and day sails - where persons could bid on these and raise funds at the same time.

Speaking at the event, President of the BVI Cancer Society Gloria A. Fahie thanked everyone for coming out to the event.

“We are here to have a good time and celebrate for BVI Cancer Society,” she said as she summoned the rest of the board of the Cancer Society to share the spotlight with her.

“Our jobs are not an easy one, not easy at all… we go around and we beg beg beg. Especially me. My hands are always out for BVI Cancer Society because it is a cause that I believe in, it is a cause that is dear to my heart because I am a four year breast cancer survivor,” she said.

“We would like one day to fund 100 percent but right now we cannot because cancer is a very expensive disease. But we are doing the best we can…we pay for mammograms, chemotherapy, radiation, oncology, and we assist with oncologists visits,” she said.

“This year for the first time we were given permission to go into the schools and we are very happy about that because we have to start at an early age. We have to train our kids to eat properly because our children are not eating properly,” she said.

“It doesn’t make sense that I am out here preaching from morning to night and then the schools are selling foods that are not good for the children,” she said. “We need to start in the schools for this message to be very effective,” she insisted.

“I want you to have fun and I want you to bid, bid, bid on all those beautiful prizes we have,” she said. “I want to thank the management of Peter Island Resort and Spa."

For the silent auction, persons had the option to put their name down next to the service they wanted to bid on. BVI Cancer Society Board member Phil Aspinal called the items on offer “high value.”

“It is all in a very good cause. As Gloria said, we can only assist, we are not big enough to take on the treatment and the medication bills for a lot of the people who come to us for help,” he said. “But with your assistance this evening we can make that assistance bigger and better for them and make their lives better,” he said.