THE Fiji Police 7s rugby team donated $5000 to the Fiji Cancer Society yesterday. This donation was part of their $7000 prize money from winning the Fiji Bitter Labasa Sevens earlier in the month.
Presenting the donation were members of the Police Blues winning side, led by assistant superintendent and Fiji Police sevens team manager Jaoji Basetimoala.
“This is the approach our commissioner is taking; it’s more about giving back to the community. Previously, our police sevens team’s participation in local tournaments was our only means of engaging with the community, but now the commissioner is changing that approach,” Basetimoala said.
“Our prize money from the Labasa tournament has given us wise guidance to donate $5,000 to the Fiji Cancer Society.”
Basetimoala confirmed that this will be part of their Police Rugby team’s community outreach initiatives moving forward.
Chief executive officer of the Fiji Cancer Society, Belinda Chan, received the donation. She thanked the officers for their support and congratulated the team on their tournament victory.
“This is a significant amount. Although they may say it is small, every cent goes towards helping pay for medication, bus-fare reimbursement, taxi fares, inpatient visitations, and assessing patients’ needs,” she said.
She added that the donation will be used for the society’s awareness and community outreach programmes, as well as screening services for preventative measures.
Chan expressed hope that the two organisations will continue to work together in the future in the fight against cancer in Fiji.
The Tappoo Group of Companies also donated materials to the Fiji Cancer Society yesterday.
