NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamian leaders including businesspersons, government officials and medical professionals will pool their efforts to handle phone lines and volunteer their time for the first ever Cancer Society telethon - an event that will raise money for a critical cause and bring out families to hear live entertainment and touching personal stories.

The telethon, set for Sunday, May 31, will be held at the Imperial Ballroom at Atlantis from 1 to 5 pm. Atlantis, along with several media houses, is partnering with the Cancer Society for the telethon that will kick-off a $3 million building fund campaign geared toward doubling the size of the Cancer Caring Centre, adding 16 new rooms and creating Nassau's first hospice.

"Cancer knows no gender," said Lovern Wildgoose, President of The Cancer Society of The Bahamas which operates the Cancer Caring Centre. "Cancer knows no race. Cancer knows no age. Cancer knows no social status. Cancer affects us all."

Beginning at 1 pm, the family event will be broadcast live throughout the country through a partnership with ZNS, Cable 12 and JCN with entertainment being provided by a number of popular Bahamian artists including Visage and Kirkland "K.B." Bodie. Telethon hosts include Jessica Robertson, Paul Fernander, Lester Cox, comedian and on-air personality Naughty and Eddie Carter.

With cancer as the number two cause of death in Bahamians, the Cancer Caring Centre plays an increasingly important role in patient care, acting as a support, resource and counseling hub, providing a place to stay, facilitating treatments by taking patients to appointments and lending emotional support through personal and group attention throughout the treatment process and, for many survivors, remaining a strong foundation.

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