More than one hundred employees from Scotiabank answered the call to service at the Jamaica Cancer Society’s flagship “Relay for Life” event, hosted at the Police Officers’ Club in St Andrew. Throughout the dusk-to-dawn, 12-hour relay, mixed teams from community groups and the corporate sector circled the track in a show of determination and unity against cancer.
As platinum sponsor, Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance Company injected J$2 million into the Society’s nationwide programmes—funding public-education drives, early-screening campaigns, and patient-support initiatives. On-site, the Scotia tent offered an uplifting space: volunteers painted an interactive “hope wall,” while social-enterprise café DeafCan kept participants refreshed with specialty beverages.
Debra Spence, President of Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance, underscored the bank’s commitment to health security, spotlighting the company’s CritiCare plan that delivers affordable critical-illness coverage—including cancer—across Jamaica. “Access to screening and swift diagnosis is non-negotiable if we’re serious about lowering mortality from breast, prostate, cervical, and colorectal cancers,” Spence said.
Roshane Reid-Koomson, acting Executive Director of the Jamaica Cancer Society, applauded the bank’s sustained partnership. “Early detection saves lives, but it requires consistent resources. Scotia’s support ensures we can reach more Jamaicans, sooner,” she noted.
Relay for Life closes each year with a candle-lit lap to salute survivors, memorialise loved ones lost, and encourage those still in treatment—reinforcing the event’s core message: together, the community can outpace cancer.
