Ontario CEO kicks off Canadian Cancer Society’s 75th Anniversary

22 March 2013

Toronto -

To commemorate the Canadian Cancer Society’s 75th Anniversary and in support of Daffodil Month, Ontario Division CEO Martin Kabat is touring the province to meet with volunteers, donors, survivors, cancer researchers and supporters to bring focus to all that the Society has achieved by working with communities across Ontario. He will also encourage Ontarians to join the fight and talk about how everyone can contribute to changing cancer forever.

“For 75 years, we have been in every community making the biggest impact, working relentlessly to prevent cancer, save lives and support people living with cancer,” says Martin. “We can all play a role in the fight against cancer. This April, I encourage you to show your support for those living with cancer by wearing a daffodil pin.”

In the last two years alone, we raised more than $11 million during Daffodil Month in Ontario and we shared more than 1.5 million pins with supporters province-wide. Here are some of the ways your dollars have helped:

• Recently, the Society announced 37 Innovation Grants with 20 in Ontario alone, including a groundbreaking imaging device that will be able to look deep within the human colon for signs of cancer and take pictures in all directions in much the same way Google “street-view” mapping works. This could potentially lead to earlier detection of colon cancer and saved lives.
• In 2012, our volunteer drivers helped approximately 14,000 patients get to more than 118,000 cancer-related appointments, driving approximately 13 million kilometres. These patients had no other way of getting to their medical care.
• After advocating for seven years for province-wide legislation restricting youth under 18 years of age from using indoor tanning, we are closer than ever to success. Recently Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews announced the introduction of new legislation. If passed, the new law will protect the health of youth across the province.

The CEO will be available to speak to media in the following locations:

• March 22: Kitchener
• April 3: Windsor
• April 13: Niagara Falls
• April 15: Timmins
• April 16: Sudbury
• April 24: Kingston
• April 30: Thunder Bay

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. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.