Photo above: A check for over $14,000 was presented to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation. Photo provided.
Through a series of events in March and April, Dataw Island Club members battled it out on the golf course, tennis courts, croquet lawn and even through a battle of the bands in an effort to fight an even bigger battle, the “Battle for Life.”
The 15th annual Battle for Life cancer fundraiser is a volunteer-driven event that has become an institution on the island.
Since 2002, about 300 Dataw members each year have been dedicated to supporting the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation to benefit the Keyserling Cancer Center, a cancer treatment facility in Beaufort.
This year, a new addition to the series was a Battle of the Bands, in which four local bands performed and members “voted” for their favorite band by stuffing their donation jars.
The band with the most money at the end of the evening won big – not only earning bragging rights and half of their “take,” but they also won knowing that they were able to raise the most money for the Battle for Life.
A check for $14,187 was presented to Alice Moss, executive director of the BMH Foundation.
Dataw member Celeste Nalwasky, chair of the golf tournament, said the support from Dataw members is nothing short of amazing and neither was the amount of donations raised.
“Dataw members are very supportive of Beaufort-area nonprofits and civic groups,” Nawalsky said. “You can hardly blink around here without walking past a neighbor on their way to volunteer one place or another.”
She also noted that this particular event is close to home for many members.
“Cancer is now so widespread, that I think we all know someone close to us who has been affected. Sometimes we think, ‘I wish I could do something to help.’ This series of events offers that opportunity – and as a bonus, we have a ton of fun doing it.”
Donations to Beaufort Memorial can also be made online by visiting bmhsc.org/bmh-foundation/give-online.
