How your donations help

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the work of our volunteers and staff, the Canadian Cancer Society has more impact, against more cancers, in more communities, than any other cancer charity.

With your help, the Canadian Cancer Society has played a part in reducing the impact of cancer on Canadians.

We take the role as steward of donor dollars very seriously and make every effort to allocate these dollars where they will make the most difference in the fight against cancer. We focus our work in 5 areas – research, advocacy, prevention, information and support. We couldn’t do it without you!

The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.

We are funding life-saving research into all types of cancer.

Today, over 60% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive compared to about 25% in the early 1940s when we started funding research. Despite the drop in deaths, cancer is still the leading cause of death in Canada.

The Canadian Cancer Society fights cancer by:

doing everything we can 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 cancer

In 2012, we invested:

$46 million to support 274 researchers and 574 students and fellows to carry out 336 research projects
$71 million in programs and services to meet the needs of people living with cancer and their caregivers and to provide information about cancer
$9 million advocating for important cancer issues that matter to Canadians

Publications

We produced and distributed 1.4 million print materials about all aspects of cancer last year.

We published 565 scientific papers, based on Canadian Cancer Society–funded research in peer-reviewed journals throughout 2012.

Information and support programs

56,000 Canadians have used our Cancer Information Service in 2012 alone; over 1 million since 1996.

75,000 people with cancer and their caregivers accessed our information and support services, and

27,000 smokers were helped by the Society’s quit smoking programs all throughout 2012.

In 2012, we provided 5,000 people having cancer treatment with accommodation at one of our lodges, and our volunteers drove 20,000 people to their cancer treatment centres.

Prevention

Last year we reached 150,000 Canadians regarding sun safety initiatives.

Research and advocacy

1,700 cancer patients participated in clinical trials funded by the Society.

Connecting Online 24/7

In 2012, over 5 million visits to cancer.ca from our online communities and people in over 200 countries seeking up-to-date information. CancerConnection.ca and ParlonsCancer.ca.

More than 803,000 visits from mobile devices and our social media fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter twice as many as in 2011.

5,600 Canadians used CancerConnection – our telephone-based support program.

Interested in learning more?

Find out how we’re making a meaningful difference to Canadians. Read our annual reports.

How your donations help in your community

The Canadian Cancer Society has roots in Saskatchewan that started over 70 years ago and a long national history of making a real difference in the fight against cancer. No other cancer organization has offices in communities across Saskatchewan, a volunteer base thousands strong, the credibility that comes from positions based on solid research and the Society’s ability to shape public debate about cancer. We do all this with your help. We spend ninety-four cents of every dollar in Saskatchewan.

In Saskatchewan, we focus our work on the following areas:

Funding research to outsmart cancer

The Canadian Cancer Society is Canada’s largest national charitable funder of research, supporting leading-edge projects nationwide. Every day, Society-funded researchers improve how cancer is prevented, diagnosed and treated. Without Society-funded research, many cancer breakthroughs wouldn’t be possible.

Empowering and informing Canadians living with cancer

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, knowledge is power. The Canadian Cancer Society empowers Canadians with timely and accessible cancer information so that they can make informed decisions about their health.

The Canadian Cancer Society provides reliable information about cancer through our local offices, our toll-free Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333 and online at cancer.ca/sk.

Supporting Canadians living with cancer

The Canadian Cancer Society is here to help. The Society offers emotional and practical support programs for people living with cancer. With the help of trained volunteers, we provide telephone or face-to-face support, transportation to treatment and more.

Doing everything we can to prevent cancer

The Canadian Cancer Society promotes healthy lifestyle strategies for reducing cancer risk. The Society encourages Canadians to not smoke, eat a healthy diet, enjoy physical activities, maintain a healthy body weight and protect themselves from the sun.

Advocating for a healthy Canada

The Canadian Cancer Society encourages governments to focus and follow through on their ability to enact laws that will improve health and reduce disease.

Rallying Canadians to get involved

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Canadians advance the Society’s fight against cancer by volunteering and donating. Thanks for joining us in our fight!