The Tribune

WITH the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics two weeks away, Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) announced the launch of a national drive to raise funds for the men’s 4x400 relay team, kicking off the campaign with a $10,000 donation and urging public donations.

“There’s a good chance that every one of us remembers exactly where we were and how we felt when we watched or heard of the ‘Golden Girls’ becoming number one, winning gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney,” said BOB deputy managing director Hubert Edwards.

“We all felt so much national pride you’d have thought we had run the race ourselves. Now we have an outstanding team in the men’s 4x400 relay event and we want to send them off to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics with the knowledge that the Bahamas is rooting for them and cheering them on with national spirit, energy and enthusiasm.”

Starting with the bank’s donation of $10,000, BOB branches throughout the country will build the men’s relay team account #284899 by accepting donations through cash or cheque donations at all bank branches or by phoning the BOB Credit Card Centre at 396-6010.

“Our athletes have worked so hard just to get to this point. When you consider the sacrifices they make in their personal and social lives, the hours of strenuous training, the dedication it takes and the commitment they make, their accomplishments reaching the Olympic team status warrants all the support we as a nation can give them so when they get to London and they are out there on that track they know they are not running alone. They have a whole team of Bahamians running with them in spirit,” said Edwards.

Coordinator for the BAAA, Shervin Stuart, thanked BOB and said recipients would be named as soon as the final relay pool members were determined by the relay coordinator and coaching staff. Two alternate spots are still being vied for.

“When we first approached BOB, we were only seeking a cash donation,” said Stuart. “They sent a sponsorship review team out to the track to meet with the BAAA. And when they came back and proposed a national drive plus their $10,000 donation, we were overwhelmed by their generosity and enthusiasm. It gave us all, including the athletes, such a positive feeling. And it’s a fitting match — the national, award-winning bank with what we hope will be a national medal-winning team.”

Donations may be made through close of business Friday, July 27. Team members in London will find additional funds added to the VISA cards they are sent with.

BOB, founded in 1988, is a publicly-traded institution with some 4,000 shareholders, nearly $900 million in assets and branches throughout the Bahamas in addition to a financial services centre in Coral Gables, Florida.