Dataw Members present $14,187 check to local cancer fundraisers

Dataw Island, S.C. – Through a series of events in the month of March and April, Dataw Island Club members battled it out on the golf course, tennis courts, croquet lawn and even through a battle of the bands in an effort to fight an even bigger battle, the “Battle for Life.”

The 15^th annual Battle for Life cancer fundraiser is a volunteer-driven event that has become an institution on the Island. Since 2002, about 300 Dataw members each year have been dedicated to supporting the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation to benefit the Keyserling Cancer Center, an innovative cancer treatment facility located right here in Beaufort, SC. 

This year, a new addition to the series was a Battle of the Bands, in which four local bands performed and members “voted” for their favorite band by stuffing their donation jars. The band with the most money at the end of the evening won big – not only earning bragging rights and half of their “take,” but they also won knowing that they were able to raise the most money for the Battle for Life, as the other half of the funds were donated to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation along with the rest of the event donations.

Today, a check of $14,187 was presented to Alice Moss, Executive Director of the BMH Foundation. Dataw member Celeste Nalwasky, this year’s chair of the golf tournament, says that the support from Dataw members is nothing short of amazing and neither was the amount of donations that was raised.

“Dataw members are very supportive of Beaufort-area non-profits and civic groups,” Nawalsky said. “You can hardly blink around here without walking past a neighbor on their way to volunteer one place or another.”

She also noted that this particular event is close to home for many members, saying that “Cancer is now so widespread, that I think we all know someone close to us who has been affected. Sometimes we think, ‘I wish I could do something to help!’ This series of events offers that opportunity – and as a bonus, we have a ton of fun doing it!”

Donations to Beaufort Memorial can also be made online by visiting them at bmhsc.org/bmh-foundation/give-online.