On Wednesday March 4, 2020, Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited launched the 12th annual Pump it Up! Family Fun Walk at the Gordon V. Steele Conference Room at its #14 Church Street location.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Roger Duncan, Customer Care advised that this year’s Pump it Up! Family Fun Walk will be held in Carriacou on Sunday April 5, 2020 starting from the Harvey Vale playing field on to the Hillsborough Tennis Court; and on Sunday April 26, 2020 in Grenada, from the Morne Rouge playing field to the Kirani James Athletic Stadium car park.
He emphasized the bank’s continued commitment toward the re-establishment of services at the Carlton Home rehabilitation center for substance abusers and reflected on the contributions of Hubbard’s, Flow, Guardian General Insurance, Antillean Group and Coyaba Beach Resort - Benefactors who have joined with Co-op Bank over the past three years to pool resources toward this initiative.
Mr. Duncan continued by adding: “Due to the scale of the problem and the significant amount of resources required, we continued to invite other members of corporate Grenada to join the efforts of the Bank and the Ministry of Health to combat the health challenges arising from substance abuse… companies that share similar core values and understand the importance of this challenge to continue coming on board.”
He then welcomed Body Image Health Club and Waggy-T Rentals & Sound Company as the two newest corporate entities to heed the call to join the existing Benefactors, seeking to make a positive impact on our society.
The newly welcomed Benefactors formalized their commitment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding between their organizations and Co-op Bank and presented their financial contributions to the Bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Richard Duncan. At this point in the proceedings, the 2020 Pump it Up! t-shirt highlighting the team of seven Benefactors was unveiled and displayed.
In his feature address, Mr. Richard W. Duncan also welcomed Body Image and Waggy T Rentals, who both have a long-standing association with Pump it Up! as Alliance Partners. He added that they are now “contributing directly into the Carlton Home Re-establishment Fund thereby making an even bigger and now, direct contribution to the well-being of our society.” He also applauded two of the existing Benefactors for increasing their financial contributions toward the initiative. In 2019, Guardian General Insurance announced a 50% increase in their financial contribution, from $10,000 to $15,000 moving them to a Renaissance level Benefactor, now appearing at the back of the T-shirt. Additionally, Antillean Group has increased its financial contribution to $20,000.
Mr. R. W. Duncan reiterated the Bank’s focus on the project to re-establish the Carlton Home Rehabilitation Center for substance abusers under the Pump it Up! brand and announced that Co-op Bank will also be boosting its financial commitment toward the initiative. He advised that in 2020, the contribution per mile for every registered participant will be increased by 50% from $1 to $1.50 per mile. Additionally, the cost for registration packages for groups of three (3) or more persons will increase from $15 to $20, and the increase of $5 will be donated into the Carlton Home Re-establishment Fund.
With the increased financial contributions, Mr. R. W. Duncan estimates that at the end of this year’s event, the fund will stand at approximately $335,000, moving steadily toward the target of $500,000 by 2021.
Since 2009, a different health-related charity has benefited from the proceeds of the Pump it Up! Family Fun Walk, such as the Grenada Heart Foundation, Grenada Diabetes Association, Grenada Kidney Foundation, Sickle Cell Association of Grenada, Grenada Cancer Society, Pink Ribbon Society and Lupus Foundation of Grenada. As the Bank celebrates its 12th family fun walk, it remains committed to promoting vibrant and physically active lifestyles, encouraging preventative approaches to health issues and making available to the public, information concerning health matters as part of its Healthier Lifestyles Programme.
