Editor:
I would like to express our appreciation to the Burns Lake community for their generosity and support of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) over the years.
I would also like to inform the public as to how the funds are spent.
Our community has raised $25,000 honouring a commitment we made to the Kordyban Lodge to be built in Prince George.
The construction has begun and is due to be completed in November 2012.
CCS volunteers, volunteer board members and staff have also made significant contributions to this $10 million dollar project.
In addition to the $48 million the CCS contributed across Canada to cancer research last year, here’s how we are making a difference in our mission to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of cancer patients and caregivers.
We distributed approximately two million print materials across Canada about all aspects of cancer.
Our cancer information and support services helped an estimated 75,000 patients and caregivers.
More than 6,600 people across Canada were helped by the Society’s CancerConnection telephone-based peer support program.
Our website (www.cancer.ca) received more than 3.6 million visits last year from Canadians looking for current information about cancer.
We engage Canadians in communities where they work and live to increase their participation in healthy living to reduce their cancer risk.
Our smoking cessation programs supported over 50,000 in their efforts to quit smoking. We have been a leader in tobacco control in Canada for years and have been a key player in seeing smoking rates in Canada decline.
Our telephone based cancer information service has helped almost one million people since 1996, many at the most critical point on their cancer journey when first diagnosed.
We are advocating for a ban on asbestos as all forms of asbestos cause cancer.
We are also lobbying the federal government for a national caregivers strategy so this important group of people receive more financial support.
We are advocating for the federal government to establish a national catastrophic drug program because all Canadians should have access to affordable cancer drugs.
We are working across Canada to ban the use of cosmetic pesticides as well as indoor tanning for young people.
We have led advocacy efforts to establish provincial colorectal cancer screening programs.
Through events like the Relay For Life, we are able to fund research projects across the country, to support cancer patients in our lodges, financially, at children’s summer camp with wig and breast prostheses banks and with comprehensive information on our website and through our Cancer Information Service (1-888-939-3333).
Please know that the support of our community is incredibly important to cancer patients at home and across the country.
If you would like further information or have questions about our services, please call our local office at 250-692-7203 or our regional office in Prince George at 1-800-811-5666.
Sincerely,
Rhoda Anderson, president
CCS Lakes District Unit.