On Canada Day 2020, Ric McIver and Kris Perraton shaved off their decades-old mustaches to raise funds for Kids Cancer Care. During their fundraising campaign, the Simpson family and two anonymous donors stepped up to encourage more Calgarians to support the cause.
Each of the three donors offered to match donations dollar for dollar to a maximum of $100,000, if Ric and Kris reached their fundraising goal of $100,000. Ric and Kris far-surpassed their fundraising goal and secured an additional $300,000, bringing the fundraising total to over $400,000.
Still reeling from the financial fallout of the global pandemic, Kids Cancer Care is rebuilding the foundation from the ground up. These dollars will help the foundation to continue offering its online programming to chidren and familes during the pandemic and help the foundation in its post-COVID-19 recovery. Check out some of the media coverage below.
In the first months of the pandemic, Albertans stepped up to help raise funds for Kids Cancer Care by collecting empties and holding bottle drives. Individuals lined up with truck loads and carloads of empties. Keeping things COVID-safe, they just popped open their trunks and Kids Cancer Care staff and volunteers, wearing PPE, grabbed their boxed and bagged empties. Funds raised went toward Kids Cancer Care’s online and COVID-adapted programs for children and families facing childhood cancer.
On Thursday, September 26, 2019, Ryane Nethery, a cancer survivor and student at Foothills Academy spoke to fellow students at Foothills Academy about the lasting effect of cancer and how it affected her learning. Ryane’s anti-bullying message is part of the official launch of Cancer in the Classroom, a new program offered by Kids Cancer Care that was made possible with a generous grant from the Canada Post Community Foundation for Children.
Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jalen Luypen took centre ice with a Shave Your Lid for a Kid fundraising initative to raise money and awarness for children and their families affected by childhood cancer.
Each September, Kids Cancer Care partners with Canadian Bloo Services during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to honour the many children with cancer who rely on blood products to survive. Young cancer survivors and patients spent the afternoon at the Eau Claire blood donor clinic thanking Canadians for their donation and encouraging more Albertans to donate blood and make an impact.
On Thursday, August 15, 2019, Calgary’s top chefs and brew masters came together to compete in the first annual Barley & Smoke 2019: Grillin’ for a Cure. Led by a group of sponsors from the Calgary restaurant, craft beer, home building, financial and legal industries, the BBQ grill-off and beer tasting challenge was a new fundraising event for Kids Cancer Care.
On Monday, February 11, 2019, 532 students at École Olds Elementary School had the exciting opportunity to host the Grey Cup. Ryan Sceviour, offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders, and Stampeder legends Jay McNeil and Stu Laird had the Grey Cup for a few hours and used their time to make a dream come true for one of their biggest fans, Carter Thompson, a 9-year-old student who is battling stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
CAR-T cell therapy is a treatment that re-engineers a patient’s cells in order to be able to recognize and attack cancer. Health Canada recently approved the CAR-T cell therapy in Canada. This year, Kids Cancer Care is proud to be a part of the group of people and organizations that helped make Ryken’s CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in Toronto a reality for his family.
Please see some of the coverage on CAR T-cell therapy and kids like Ryken below. (Photos from Calgary Herald.)
