Hellenic Bank strengthens the “Partnership for Life” with the Karaiskakio Foundation

For the past year, a great “Partnership for Life” has been created between Hellenic Bank and the Karaiskakio Foundation, aiming for a world without leukemia. To celebrate the collaboration between them, an event was held on Monday June 27 afternoon at the Garden Day & Night in Nicosia, under the motto “Life Can’t Wait” in order to renew their partnership, covering the sponsorship of the annual Bone Marrow Donors Awards Ceremony, the sponsorship of the annual September “Leukemia Month”, the ‘Dinner for Life” charity event sponsorship, the organisation of sampling by Hellenic Bank staff to support the Cyprus Volunteer Bone Marrow Donor Archive and the creation of Self-Recruitment Stations for volunteer bone marrow donors so that the registration becomes even easier and more accessible. Hellenic Bank also announced the donation of a modern molecular analyser, the CFX Opus Real-Time PCR System from Bio-Rad, to the Pediatric Cancer Research Center of the Karaiskakio Foundation, which will be used for monitoring treatment responses in children with leukemia and will contribute significantly to the timely adjustment of their treatment.

Hellenic Bank’s Chairman of the BoD, 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 the Foundation members, he added: “giving is part of our culture and we are honoured to be your partners in this difficult battle you fight daily”.

Thereafter, Hellenic Bank CEO Oliver Gatzke stressed the importance of the Karaiskakio Foundation’s efforts, stating: “There have been many discussions over the past two years, 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, Mr Gatzke clarified the Bank’s role in the Foundation’s work, 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 Volunteer Bone Marrow Donors.

For her part, the Karaiskakio Foundation Board of Directors Chairwoman Dr. Popi Kanari, expressed her gratitude towards Hellenic Bank 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”.