T| New Brunswick helps fundraise for Cancer Society" title="Curling for Cancer | New Brunswick helps fundraise for Cancer Society" width="200" height="133">The Canadian Cancer Society New Brunswick is raising money for cancer research by skipping stones, sweeping and hurrying hard.
The Capital Winter Club in Fredericton, N.B. is host to the seventh annual Curling for Cancer tournament.
“We’re Atlantic Canada and curling is engrained in us, ” said the New Brunswick Cancer Society manager Andrew Despres. “We watch it on T.V., we have the curling clubs around, [and] it’s just a fun event that people of all ages can do and come and be active and have fun.”
The event goes by two names. It’s second being a “fun-fundraiser” as dubbed by the chair or the tournament’s organizing committee, Mary Wheeler.
Although it is a fundraiser for research, she said it’s a way for everyone to come out and have fun while helping a cause – you don’t even need to know how to curl.
“It’s to help eradicate this disease, which as I have said before, affects – in one way or another – everybody on the planet, ” said Wheeler. “So, I think you need to have things like this in order to be able to get the funds to help eradicate it.”
Fredericton is not the only host to the fun-fundraiser. Moncton, Florenceville, Perth-Andover and two tournaments in Saint John are all participating in the Cancer Society New Brunswick fundraiser.
Last year, the tournament was able to raise $21, 000 for the one-day event. This year Wheeler and Despres are hoping for at least $15, 000.
The target amount is something they are hopeful to meet, but say in the end it goes to benefit families, survivors and patients receiving treatment, “So every little bit counts, ” said Despres.
Online donations alone helped raise $1, 390. The final number for total funds raised is unknown at the time, but Wheeler and Despres said they have a running tally they are hoping to keep building.
According to their website, the Canadian Cancer society invested $851, 00 in life-saving cancer research, through donations last year.
In addition, they invested $1.5 million in information and support programs in New Brunswick, 675 people had financial assistance with travel costs for cancer treatment, 330 people benefited from the Eat Well Be Active program and 1, 000 men and women learned about cancer screening through the Pink and Purple Parties.
The majority of the money raised stays in New Brunswick, but also works with research partners across Canada.
Despres said this is just one of the ways to get the Canadian Cancer Society’s name out into the community to get support.
“[It’s important to] raise funds to help support our programs and prevention support programs out here in New Brunswick, ” he said. “And it goes to support New Brunswickers that are going through their cancer journey.”