Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society receives $250k after Scotia 5K

The 2024 edition of the Scotiabank Women Against Breast Cancer 5K (SWABC 5K) saw thousands of women and approximately 500 men running and bringing awareness to a worthy cause in the vicinity of the Queen's Park Savannah on October 5.

The race may have given the opportunity for seasoned runners to lower their season's best times, with the others running and walking to the finish line with their peers in friendly competition.

And while April Francis and David Schweitzer emerged as the overall female and male winners respectively, the TT Cancer Society were also the winners on the day as a $250,000 digital transfer was made to the organisation upon the completion of the race.

TT Cancer Society chairman Robert Dumas was on hand to oversee the handover, with Scotiabank's senior vice-president and managing director, Gayle Pazos, and Scotiabank Foundation chairperson Roxane De Freitas also present.

In a release, Scotiabank said, "for over two decades, the Scotiabank Women Against Breast Cancer Fund has been supporting the provision of cancer screening services in communities across the country.

The release continued, "over 22,000 women have benefited from cancer screening services because of the support of the 5K's many registrants and sponsors over the years."

Francis, who copped her second SWABC 5K win, dedicated her triumph to a close friend who's currently battling cancer.

"I really wanted to do it for her, because I didn’t plan to run the race. And then I said, 'You know what, let me just do it for her because she is accustomed to doing this race, and it’s one of her favourite races,'" Francis told Newsday.

"This win is for her. I didn’t expect to come out with the win and I’m very happy not just for me, but for her as well. That means to me that she’s going to win (her fight against cancer) and I’ll be with her next year to show that we won. We won the fight and I won by just being positive and being here for her."

Schweitzer also threw his support behind the initiative after his win.

This year's race was the 24th edition of the SWABC 5K.