We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. James Thomson as the new President and Chair of our Board of Directors. James has been involved with OPACC for over 9 years, most recently in the staff position of Community Engagement and Resource Development Coordinator.
We thank the outgoing President and Chair, Mr. David Munro, for his many years of service to OPACC and wish him well in his endeavours!
Our very own Susan Kuczynski was featured on the SickKids Instagram account in September as part of their Childhood Cancer Awareness Month campaign on staff helping to ‪#fightkidscancer‬!
September was a busy month for OPACC with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) activities! Here are some of the highlights:
We became a proud partner of the Big Book of Care national CCAM campaign, a Canada-wide partnership of organizations that work to eliminate childhood cancer and support the families and children who are affected by it
We were invited to the opening of the Toronto Stock Exchange on August 28th (see below)
Our Parent Liaisons attended the CCAM event at Sick Kids on September 24th (see photo above), and gave out free OPACC gold ribbons at the hospital throughout the month
We introduced our Parent and Friends & Family guides (see above)
Thank you to all those who helped make our 2015 Toronto Inside Ride a big success! To date, you have raised nearly $10,000 for OPACC and the website is still accepting online donations - please help us get closer to our goal! We will have our final tally in December.
Be sure to check out our list of "Helpful Links" and resources available for childhood cancer families - recently called by one parent "the most comprehensive list of helpful links that I have seen."
Remember to follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter for the latest breaking news and announcements in between receiving our quarterly newsletters!
THANK YOU
To everyone who came out to support our Inside Ride event at Playdium on October 4th! Special thanks to all of our wonderful teams and volunteers - there would be no event without you!
Thanks to the media who came out to cover the event and to special guests Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Mississauga Ward 4 Councillor John Kovac, who took the time to show their support for our cause.
To Caley Ash and Make-A-Wish Canada for presenting at our "Lunch and Learn" session at Sick Kids on November 12th
To Nicolle Georgiev-Megan and The Super Sophia Project for donating copies of Sophia's newest book "Sophia and Her Friend the Raccoon: A Story of Hope" for our Parent Liaisons to give out to families at our Sick Kids drop-ins!
To Neal Rourke from Childhood Cancer International, the TMX Group, and The Big Book of Care campaign for inviting OPACC to be a guest at the Toronto Stock Exchange's Market opening ceremony on August 28th in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!
To Dean Robev, Store Manager at Sobeys Todmorden (1015 Broadview Avenue, East York) for his ongoing commitment to providing donations of healthy snack options for our Sick Kids drop-ins!
And many thanks also to our volunteer Anna T. for making this happen!
To Laura Lane, for her donation of $50 from the proceeds of the sales of her book "Two Mothers One Prayer: Facing Your Child's Cancer with Hope, Strength and Courage"
To Starbucks Canada for their continuing support of OPACC by donating coffee, tea, and treats to our drop-ins, meetings and workshops, and community support groups!
To Sarah Mueller at The Design Truth for donating her graphic design services!
New parent support group in Niagara Falls started by parents who took our 2015 Parent Facilitator training session! Parents of Children with Cancer Support Group - Niagara Chapter will be meeting monthly at different locations. The next meeting is on Sunday, November 29th from 1-4pm featuring a "Holiday Tea" - all families and kids welcome, feel free to bring a treat to share! Please contact Emily at CancerMama@hotmail.com or 905-321-3721 to RSVP and get the address
Letter from Sick Kids about changes to the organization of medical teams
"Kids Being Kids" morning of free fun for the whole family at C.J. Skateboard Park & School on November 28th
Cancer Recovery Foundation of Canada has financial aid programs to help families dealing with cancer, including their BEAR-able Gifts program, Transportation Funding Program, and Helping Hands Fund
Jennifer Asheigh Children's Charity offers financial assistance to families of seriously ill children, including financial aid for hospital and treatment costs, household costs, respite care, medical treatment, and therapies.
The SuperSibs program has a variety of helpful, FREE online resources for parents and siblings of children with cancer
Family Support Services: Our Parent Liaison program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto offers families of children with cancer a wealth of FREE information and resources!
Community Development:OPACC works in collaboration with others across Ontario to build a network of community-based Parent Support Groups to ensure that families are supported both in hospital as well as back in their local communities. OPACC also provides training sessions for new Parent Facilitators.
Advocacy: Check our website's History page for some of the important topics that OPACC has and continues to advocate for through our work in partnership with other childhood cancer organizations from across the Province and at the national level.
HOW YOU CAN HELP OPACC
OPACC is an independent registered charity; while we often partner with other organizations to provide services to our families, our programs are managed separately. OPACC receives no government funding and all funding for the development of our programs, services and special events (which are provided at no cost to our families) comes from the donations of generous organizations, businesses, foundations, and individuals. Below, please find some ways that you can give back to help us continue helping our families!
