sufferers.

For Mrs. Vassell marked her milestone with a fund-raising gospel festival at St. Paul's Centennial Hall in Hamilton.

And she managed to raise $4,200 through entrance fees for the Sickle Cell Foundation.

Earlier this week she handed the cheque to Mrs. Wilma Frith, the foundation's vice-president.

Mrs. Frith said the money would help the foundation's scholarship fund which enables people with sickle cell to go to Bermuda College.

"We're very grateful to Mrs. Vassell,'' said Mrs. Frith.

Mrs. Vassell, of Warwick, said her 18-year-old daughter, Odia, has sickle cell, for which there is no known cure. She added the condition was painful, and often caused sufferers to fall behind in their schoolwork.

BIRTHDAY BONANZA -- Mrs. Claudette Vassell (left) presents a cheque for $4,200 to Mrs. Wilma Frith, vice-president of the Sickle Cell Foundation. The money was raised through a gospel festival marking Mrs. Vassell's 50th birthday.