Thursday, Feb 27, 2014
Dubai: A Dubai charity event hopes to raise more than Dh1.1 million on Friday for a cancer foundation helping UAE patients cope with the disease.
The annual Oil Barons Charity Ball (OBCB), which raises funds for Sharjah-based Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), hopes to beat last year’s figure of Dh1.1 million, the highest amount collected so far.
In total, OBCB has already donated more than Dh2.5 million over three years.
FoCP has provided medical and financial support to more than 500 patients of various nationalities and backgrounds in the UAE.
The funds are used to cover medical treatment locally and abroad; organise cancer prevention and early detection programmes; and provide financial assistance to patients’ families, among other activities.
Data regarding cancer patients and prevalence vary in the UAE as there is “no central cancer register”, said Simon Mellor, president of OBCB-organiser BMG events.
Some studies suggest cancer is the third biggest killer in the UAE, after heart disease and accidents.
In the UAE, the most common type of cancer in women is breast cancer and colorectal cancer in men, according to the Emirates Cancer Foundation.
“Some of the cancer patients are babies, young children, old people,” Mellor said.
On February 28, scores of senior oil industry executives will once again rally for patients, Mellor told Gulf News.
“It’s quite an emotional process. At the ball itself, we use every mechanism we can to raise money,” he said.
Those means include personal and corporate donations and sales of memorabilia — which have included items linked to Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Mellor hopes to beat the Dh1.1 million figure from 2013.
“We don’t necessarily set a target, I don’t wish to burden the night with that…I love to think hopefully we’ll add to it. We’re quite a successful donator.
“It’s a time for the [oil] industry to enjoy and for a good cause.”
He praised FoCP, saying they have been changing the lives of hundreds of residents. Mellor urged OBCB guests to lend support “as [volunteer-based FoCP] have no other means” other than donations.
The two organisations also coordinate outings for child patients, visits to hospital wards, and giving of gifts.
This year’s OBCB — held with a James Bond theme — features UK artist Beverley Knight, dubbed the Queen of British Soul.
The event, taking place at Meydan Racecourse, is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development.
By Faisal Masudi Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
