Canadian Cancer Society
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Cancer Society (French
: Société canadienne du cancer) is a national, community-based charitable organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer
and enhance the quality of life of those living with the disease.
The Canadian Cancer Society is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada
.
The Society was officially formed a decade later, in 1938, to educate Canadians about the early warning signs of cancer. At that time, many people did not seek medical help until their cancer had advanced past a treatable stage.
In 1947, the Society began funding cancer research through the creation of the National Cancer Institute of Canada, an agreement between the Canadian Cancer Society and the Federal Department of Health and Welfare. The Society continues to fund cancer research today, through the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.
Relying on donor and volunteer support, the Canadian Cancer Society fulfills its mission by:
Each provincial and territorial division of the Canadian Cancer Society has a Board of Directors, chaired by a volunteer divisional president.
Public accountability for the organization rests at the national level. The national Board of Directors has 18 volunteer representatives from across Canada. The President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society is Peter Goodhand.
; the volunteers used daffodils to decorate the tables, as they thought it would create hope that cancer could be beaten.
The use of daffodils for fundraising began in 1956, when volunteers handed out daffodils at Toronto-area restaurants, as means to spread the message about cancer awareness; at first, the daffodils were given to the patrons, just to get the word out about cancer, but when some wanted to pay for the flowers or make a donation, it was realized that the daffodils could be used as a fundraising tool for the Society.
This led to the first daffodil days in the spring of 1957, when Society volunteers in Toronto raised over $1,200 on sales of daffodils. As the first flower of spring, the daffodil became a symbol of hope in the fight against cancer and daffodil days fundraising events spread throughout the rest of Canada and amongst cancer organizations around the world, including the American Cancer Society
, the Irish Cancer Society
and The Cancer Council Australia.
Today, the Society is the world's largest purchaser of daffodils. In 2000, the Canadian Cancer Society adopted the daffodil as part of its logo, replacing the sword and snakes logo similar to that of the American Cancer Society. Many cancer organizations have also incorporated the daffodil in their logos including The Cancer Council Australia, Irish Cancer Society
and Marie Curie Cancer Care
.
During these events, each year hundreds of police, officials and members of the public shave their heads to raise money to support children with cancer and their families. Other fundraising activities from this group include golf tournaments and elite sporting events. Since it began, the program has raised over $32.8 million dollars.
Money raised from the sale of the Thing-a-ma-boob will go towards funding breast cancer research, providing support services for victims and their families, as well as prevention and advocacy initiatives.
The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research. Cancer research is funded through the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute. Using a peer review process, research grants and training opportunities are funded for all types of cancer and include basic laboratory research, clinical trials as well as behavioral, psychosocial and population-based cancer research.
Notable research that the Canadian Cancer Society has funded includes:
The Canadian Cancer Society also advocates on behalf of Canadians by encouraging governments to pass public policies that will help prevent cancer and help people living with cancer. Issues the Society advocates for include tobacco control, ornamental use of pesticides, health systems reform, occupational carcinogen exposure, cancer screening and gene patenting.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Société canadienne du cancer) is a national, community-based charitable organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and enhance the quality of life of those living with the disease.
The Canadian Cancer Society is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society originally came from the Saskatchewan Medical Association in 1929, when they formed Canada’s first cancer committee.The Society was officially formed a decade later, in 1938, to educate Canadians about the early warning signs of cancer. At that time, many people did not seek medical help until their cancer had advanced past a treatable stage.
In 1947, the Society began funding cancer research through the creation of the National Cancer Institute of Canada, an agreement between the Canadian Cancer Society and the Federal Department of Health and Welfare. The Society continues to fund cancer research today, through the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.
Mission
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society is Canada’s largest national cancer charity and the country’s largest national charitable funder of cancer research.Relying on donor and volunteer support, the Canadian Cancer Society fulfills its mission by:
- doing everything possible to prevent cancer
- funding research to outsmart cancer
- empowering, informing and supporting Canadians living with cancer
- advocating for public policies to improve the health of Canadians
- rallying Canadians to get involved in the fight against cancers
Organization
The Canadian Cancer Society consists of:- national offices in Toronto and Ottawa
- 10 provincial and territorial divisions
- approximately 170,000 volunteers (including canvassers)
- approximately 1,200 full-time staff
Each provincial and territorial division of the Canadian Cancer Society has a Board of Directors, chaired by a volunteer divisional president.
Public accountability for the organization rests at the national level. The national Board of Directors has 18 volunteer representatives from across Canada. The President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society is Peter Goodhand.
Daffodils
The logo for the Canadian Cancer Society is the daffodil. The flower had served as a symbol of cancer awareness since the 1950s, when volunteers for the Society organized a fundraising tea in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
; the volunteers used daffodils to decorate the tables, as they thought it would create hope that cancer could be beaten.
The use of daffodils for fundraising began in 1956, when volunteers handed out daffodils at Toronto-area restaurants, as means to spread the message about cancer awareness; at first, the daffodils were given to the patrons, just to get the word out about cancer, but when some wanted to pay for the flowers or make a donation, it was realized that the daffodils could be used as a fundraising tool for the Society.
This led to the first daffodil days in the spring of 1957, when Society volunteers in Toronto raised over $1,200 on sales of daffodils. As the first flower of spring, the daffodil became a symbol of hope in the fight against cancer and daffodil days fundraising events spread throughout the rest of Canada and amongst cancer organizations around the world, including the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, the Irish Cancer Society
Irish Cancer Society
The Irish Cancer Society is the national charity in the Ireland dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem, and improving the lives of those living with cancer ....
and The Cancer Council Australia.
Today, the Society is the world's largest purchaser of daffodils. In 2000, the Canadian Cancer Society adopted the daffodil as part of its logo, replacing the sword and snakes logo similar to that of the American Cancer Society. Many cancer organizations have also incorporated the daffodil in their logos including The Cancer Council Australia, Irish Cancer Society
Irish Cancer Society
The Irish Cancer Society is the national charity in the Ireland dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem, and improving the lives of those living with cancer ....
and Marie Curie Cancer Care
Marie Curie Cancer Care
Marie Curie Cancer Care is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides nursing care, free of charge, to terminally ill people, giving them the chance to choose to be cared for at home...
.
Relay For Life
Relay For Life is the Canadian Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event. Relay For Life is a non-competitive, outdoor, overnight relay held in hundreds of communities across Canada every year. The 12-hour relay brings teams of 10 people together to take turns walking, running or wheeling around a track from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Main events include a Survivors' Victory Lap, a luminary ceremony to remember loved ones lost to cancer as well as anything from karaoke to bingo to help keep people energized throughout the night. In 2009, the event raised more than $52 million for the Society at 474 events across Canada.Cops for Cancer
The first Cops for Cancer program started in 1994 when Sergeant Gary Goulet, an Edmonton police officer with a shaved head, posed for a picture with a young cancer patient. The officer wanted to support the boy, who was being ridiculed at school because of his hair loss. Since then law enforcement and emergency services officers from across Canada have held Cops for Cancer fundraising events for the Canadian Cancer Society.During these events, each year hundreds of police, officials and members of the public shave their heads to raise money to support children with cancer and their families. Other fundraising activities from this group include golf tournaments and elite sporting events. Since it began, the program has raised over $32.8 million dollars.
Thing-a-ma-boob
Introduced in 2005 the Thing-a-ma-boob, is an educational keyring made of four different sized beads each indicating the various sized lumps that can be detected through regular breast self-exams, physical exams by a healthcare professional, 1st mammogram, to regular mammograms.Money raised from the sale of the Thing-a-ma-boob will go towards funding breast cancer research, providing support services for victims and their families, as well as prevention and advocacy initiatives.
Activities
The Canadian Cancer Society offers a variety of information and support services to Canadians including:- A bilingual, toll-free Cancer Information Service (1 888 939-3333)
- CancerConnection – a peer-support program that connects people with similar cancer experiences
- Accommodation and transportation services in some areas
The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research. Cancer research is funded through the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute. Using a peer review process, research grants and training opportunities are funded for all types of cancer and include basic laboratory research, clinical trials as well as behavioral, psychosocial and population-based cancer research.
Notable research that the Canadian Cancer Society has funded includes:
- the development of the cobalt-60 unit in the 1950s to treat cancer tumors with cobalt therapy, a treatment still widely used today
- the discovery of vinblastineVinblastineVinblastine is an antimicrotubule drug used to treat certain kinds of cancer, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and testicular cancer. It is also used to treat Langerhan cell histiocytosis....
as successful chemotherapyChemotherapyChemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
for Hodgkin lymphoma in the 1950s, also a treatment for cancer still used today - the 1960s discovery of stem cells and their use in bone marrow transplants as a cancer treatment
The Canadian Cancer Society also advocates on behalf of Canadians by encouraging governments to pass public policies that will help prevent cancer and help people living with cancer. Issues the Society advocates for include tobacco control, ornamental use of pesticides, health systems reform, occupational carcinogen exposure, cancer screening and gene patenting.