PALS' ongoing fight against the scourge of cancer gathered more support yesterday with two groups making donations to one of Bermuda's most visible charities in the space of an hour.

The Independent Business Owners of Bermuda (IBOB) donated the entire proceeds from its recent annual consumer product fair and fashion show to the charity.

The cheque of $3,000 was handed over to PALS president and CEO, Ann Smith Gordon and a half hour later she received a $2,000 cheque from Escape Nightclub from proceeds from their recent Mad Hatters Halloween Tea Party.

The Independent Business Owners of Bermuda have agreed to make PALS the recipients from future fund-raising efforts, after adopting them as their "charity of choice''.

"Moving forward we want to have a relationship with PALS, trying to alleviate a lot of their financial concerns as much as we can,'' said one of the IBO's, Albert Joell.

"We hope that the cheque we gave today is the smallest we ever give to them, in that as we grow so will our ability to donate more also grow. The more events we have then the more they will be helped. To whom much is given much is required!'' All four of the IBOs have lost loved ones through cancer. Laurima Stovell, who hails from New York, lost her mother to lung cancer in 1987.

"She never smoked a day in her life,'' Mrs. Stovell stressed.

"Roseanne Michaelson's mother died from breast cancer in 1991. "It was difficult for her because she didn't speak the language, but they (PALS) were so kind to her that she felt comfortable,'' explained Mrs. Michaelson.

"We were blessed to have an organisation like that available to us, they helped us through it.'' Sylvia Wilson lost her father to prostate cancer, also in 1991, a type of cancer on the rise in Bermuda for men over the age of 40.

"It has touched so many people, we think this is the right thing to do,'' said Mrs. Wilson.

Mr. Joell lost a good friend and business associate, Dave Morin from Massachusetts, a couple of years ago to cancer.

"If all of us have been touched by this then there is a pretty good chance that more people will come to need their (PALS) services,'' said Mr. Joell.

PALS was the popular choice amongst the Independent Business Owners of Bermuda.

"We took a poll and every one decided that PALS would be the choice of charity,'' explained Mrs. Stovell.

"Our intent with PALS is to develop a relationship so that on a regular basis we can do charitable events that would allow us to donate to PALS. As Independent Business Owners of Bermuda, our intent is to give back to Bermuda.

"What we've learned is that the secret of living is giving. A lot of us have been touched by this dreadful illness.'' Mrs. Smith Gordon says the PALS charity is eternally grateful for the donations they receive ...the small ones and the big ones. The budget for this year is $600,000 -- the highest it has been -- so they are in constant need of financial support.

"The battle goes on and the bottom line is without people like this there would be no PALS, I can promise you that,'' said Mrs. Gordon.

"We do our own fund raising with five or six annual events that we do -- we just finished the fair on Saturday -- and there's no way we could earn that kind of money in fund raising. The Government does give us a grant, which is really good because it shows that they understand and approve of what we're doing, so that's important also.'' With close to 200 registered charities in Bermuda, residents are constantly asked to give to good causes. No doubt all the charities appreciate whatever people can afford to give.

"All the people who come here, Americans, Canadians and English, who stay awhile and get involved and then go away again, they all say how impressed they are with the charitable efforts of Bermudians and how generous Bermudians are,'' said Mrs. Smith Gordon.

"Bermuda is full of wonderful charities, PALS is just one of them. Look at the hospital and what the Pink Ladies do, for instance. You name it, there's something going on, helping people.

"It's just great and we're very lucky to live in an environment like that.'' It is the small donation that comes at tremendous sacrifice that touches PALS, as Mrs. Smith Gordon remembered one particular couple who went out of their way to help.

"There was a lady and her husband who lived in a small place, with a bed, tiny little stove, tiny little fridge, maybe two chairs and they had nothing,'' explained Mrs. Gordon.

"She got a bag of flour, made bread and sold it to her neighbours and made a donation to PALS of about $11. That $11 from that woman making that effort in those miserable confines means so much, it really does.

"Everybody can't give $50, $100 or $1,000, but as we used to say pennies make pounds -- and it still does.

"We are eternally grateful for every bit of support we receive in any way.

People doing all these wonderful events to benefit PALS is just great.'' Proceeds to PALS: Mrs. Ann Smith Gordon, President and CEO of PALS, received cheques from two organisations recently. A cheque for $3,000 was handed in from Albert Joell of the Independent Business Owners of Bermuda (top). The money was raised during a recent consumer product fair and fashion show. Also pictured are IBOs (left to right) Laurima Stovell, Sylvia Wilson and Roseanne Michaelson. And Escape nightclub owner Mr. Paul DeCouto recently presented P.A.L.S. and the Allan Vincent Smith Foundation with a cheque for $2,000 each.

$3,000 was raised from the cover charge at a recently held Mad Hatters Halloween Tea Party at the club themed: `Escape to Wonderland', and an extra $1,000 was donated to give each charity $2,000. Pictured from left are, Ann Smith-Gordon, Mr. Paul DeCouto with Cot, Escape Club mascot and personal friend, and Tammy McRonald of the Allan Vincent Smith Foundation.