After an absence of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ALIVE Charity Foundation has once again held its cycling challenge and raised another €90,000 for cancer research undertaken by academics at the University of Malta. The funds were donated during a ceremony held at the Biomedical Labs at the University of Malta.
Set up in 2013, the foundation has to date donated around €700,000 for cancer research, which funds have supported a number of PhD and master’s scholarships and an additional seven specific research projects, some of which are still ongoing.
During the donation ceremony, Christian Scerri, on behalf of the cancer research teams at the university, gave an overview of how the money received from the foundation has been utilised so far.
Nicky Camilleri, chairperson of the foundation, spoke about the determination of the NGO to continue supporting cancer research in the hope that one day people would be able to have a better quality of life. He went on to describe how cancer is a reality that affects everyone, albeit to different extents: for some, it is a light brush, but for the vast majority, it is a hard struggle. He said that cancer research provides an ongoing ray of hope to these patients, their families, friends and their communities.
Raising funds to support various cancer research projects remains the main objective of the ALIVE Charity Foundation. Camilleri thanked all the cyclists who, together with the support team, endured physical and emotional difficulties during this year’s 1,000km Sicily cycling challenge. He also thanked their main sponsor, Dr Juice, for their strong support in favour of this cause.
Foundation chairperson Nicky Camilleri thanked all the cyclists who, together with the support team, endured physical and emotional difficulties during this year’s 1,000km Sicily cycling challenge
University rector Alfred Vella expressed his gratitude to the foundation which, for the past decade, has been a strong supporter of the University’s research efforts, and appealed for more similar initiatives from other sectors of the community. He stressed the importance of the Research, Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT) for such synergies that significantly augment the university’s funds for research.
Also present for the donation ceremony were Parliamentary Secretary Keith Azzopardi Tanti, opposition spokesperson for education Justin Schembri, and opposition spokesperson for research and innovation Stanley Zammit.