Hellenic and Karaiskakio salute collab at ‘Life Cannot Wait’ event

For the past year, a great “Alliance for Life” has unfolded between the Hellenic Bank and the Karaiskakio Foundation, working together towards a world without leukemia.

To celebrate the collaboration, an event was held on June 27 at Nicosia’s Garden Day & Night venue, under the motto “Life Cannot Wait”.

During the gathering, Hellenic Bank and Karaiskakio renewed their partnership, covering the sponsorship of the annual Donor Awards Ceremony, as well as sponsorship of the annual September “Leukemia Month”, the organisation of sampling by Hellenic Bank staff to support the Cyprus Volunteer Bone Marrow Donor Archive and the creation of New Volunteer Bone Marrow Donor Registration Stations to make signing up even easier and more accessible.

Hellenic representatives also announced the donation of a state-of-the-art CFX Opus System molecular analyser from Bio-Rad to the Karaiskakio Children’s Cancer Research Centre, used for laboratory monitoring of treatment of children with leukemia, while able to achieve the timely adjustment of their treatment.

Hellenic’s Chairman Of The Board, Dr. Evripides Polykarpou, thanked attendees for their presence and noted that the Bank’s new offer to the Karaiskakio Foundation, within the context of a cooperation, “not only continues, but is being strengthened”. Furthermore, addressing Foundation members, he added: “giving is part of our culture and we are honoured to be your allies in this difficult battle you fight every day”.

Thereafter, Hellenic Bank CEO Oliver Gatzke stressed the importance of the Karaiskakio Foundation’s efforts, stating: “Over the past two years, there have been many discussions about the challenges we faced during the pandemic, and I think it is worth highlighting how the pandemic made us think about the importance of giving back to society in the midst of difficult times, for whatever cause and wherever it is needed.”

In addition, Hellenic’s CEO clarified the Bank’s role in the work of the Foundation, which was not limited to financial support alone, but also expressed by the fact its partners consciously act as ambassadors of the Foundation’s message “Give a Moment, Save a Life”, urging the public to become Bone Marrow Donors.

For her part, Karaiskakio Foundation Board of Directors Chairman Dr. Popi Nicolaidou Kanari, voiced her gratitude to Hellenic for its multi-dimensional role of social responsibility, and for its attributes in “the quality of services, customer appreciation, consistency and contribution to society”.

As for the institution’s 25 years of continuous contribution, Chairman Kanari observed that: “The Karaiskakio Foundation proves that the humanitarian and scientific displacement of Cyprus is much greater than its size and this is because the Volunteer Donor Archive remains the world’s first in terms of population ratio, having provided transplants to over 650 patients with leukaemia and other blood malignancies in 34 countries, regardless of religion, race and social class, thereby building humanitarian bridges and setting our small country as an example to follow.”

Attendees also had the opportunity to view a short video highlighting the Hellenic Bank’s and Karaiskakio Foundation’s joint actions, reaffirming the message that “by giving a moment we can save a life”.