Canadian Cancer Society: West Kootenay

Canadians recently came together to celebrate the Tragically Hip: A National Celebration! Fans gathered for the love of the iconic band but also to raise critically needed funds for brain cancer research. Participating venues, including the Royal Theatre and the Arlington Bar & Grill in Trail, the Element Club Bar & Grill in Castlegar, the Civic Theatre and Mike’s Place Pub in Nelson and Clyde’s Pub in Grand Forks, broadcasted the concert that was live from the band’s hometown of Kingston, Ont., on Aug. 20th.

The Canadian Cancer Society was welcomed into participating venues across the country, to ask for voluntary donations to the newly established Brain Cancer Research Fund in Honour of Gord Downie. Together, West Kootenay Boundary communities raised desperately needed funds toward the national campaign, which is still being tallied across the country but was well received locally with $5,000 total raised. Alongside, a text to give push garnered $8,705 nationally in donations on Saturday night – the program since its inception July 1st has raised $12,055 and continues to be live until September 1st. Donors can still text the word FIGHT to 20222 and choose to donate $10, $20 or $25, or give via cancer.ca/brainresearch or by calling 1-800-268-8874.

Without the support of venues and also Canadians who gave, the Society’s effort would not have been possible, and the message to tens of thousands of people would not have been heard. Because of Gord Downie’s very public confession of Glioblastoma, a cruel and incurable brain cancer, it has become a national topic of conversation. The Hip campaign was an exciting opportunity for the Society and is just one example of the many revenue development initiatives managed and supported by the Society’s staff and amazing volunteers.

The Canadian Cancer Society is a volunteer organization that strives to eradicate cancer and support individuals in their fight against cancer. The office located in Trail serves the West Kootenay Boundary as a landing pad for connecting locals with services such as financial support for those traveling for treatment or wigs for those undergoing chemotherapy. The office also works to raise funds for such support services, cancer research, and prevention education through community events such as the Daffodil Dash and Relay For Life and other means of revenue development like the Daffodil campaign.

Here’s a look at support statistics for the Southern Interior for 2015/16:
– Cancer Information Service Inquiries: 775
– CancerConnection matches: 112
– Camp Goodtimes participants: 42
– Financial Support clients: 210 (Note: the CCS provides the most financial assistance to residents in the Southern Interior. The next highest is the North with 118 clients.)
– Lodge: 1,352 clients

The Canadian Cancer Society values the Trail and District Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber connects like-minded business professionals and organizations that share a common goal of serving its communities and providing a service to residents.

To follow the local office, check out its Facebook page.