<em>Photo above:&nbsp;A check for over $14,000 was presented to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation. Photo provided.</em>

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.”&nbsp;

The 15th annual Battle for Life cancer fundraiser is a volunteer-driven event that has become an institution on the island.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;

“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.”&nbsp;

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.