If you don’t already know Carolina Oxtoby, you soon will. She has been championing Kids Cancer Care for over two decades and she’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Quite the opposite. As chair of the fundraising cabinet for the Camp Kindle Expansion and Accessibility Campaign, she and her hardworking cabinet have raised a staggering $7.66 million over the past seven months.
As former president and CEO of Heritage Pointe Properties, Carolina is known for her forward-thinking can-do attitude in business and philanthropy. She is the visionary behind the award-winning community on the southern edge of Calgary that offers the best in rural and urban living with a world-class 27-hole golf course.
Carolina’s commitment to Kids Cancer Care was first ignited when she and Christine McIver, founder of Kids Cancer Care and capital campaign advisor, met at a charity golf tournament banquet and knew they had an instant connection.
“Christine opened her heart and world to me,” says Carolina. “The incredible and emotional story of her son Derek who she lost to brain cancer. It inspired me to learn more about the tragic illness that forever changes the lives of children and devastates their parents and siblings.” That night, a spark was lit in Carolina that she has generously shared with Kids Cancer Care ever since.
In 2013, Carolina participated in the High Hopes Challenge, an annual fundraising event that tests the stamina of Calgary business leaders who take on a series of challenges at Camp Kindle. The carefully selected participants were challenged to raise a minimum of $10,000. Carolina raised nearly $30,000.
The High Hopes Challenge pairs each business leader with a child affected by cancer who literally shows them the ropes at camp. Carolina was paired with Kayla, a teenage girl who was battling brain cancer while her mother was battling relapsed breast cancer. This time it was terminal.
A cancer survivor herself, Carolina went above and beyond to help Kayla’s family. Friends of the family established a Carpe Diem Fund to ease the financial burden for the family.
“We were three musketeers and were invincible, knowing that Shannon’s life was fading, and Kayla’s future was uncertain,” says Carolina. “We had matching Carpe Diem tattoos to seal our bond and our love for each other.”
Shannon and her children Kayla and Tyler lived deeply and richly until she took her last breath in January 2016. Kayla has since graduated from the University of Lethbridge where she studied psychology with the help of a Derek Wandzura Memorial Scholarship from Kids Cancer Care.
Shannon and her children Kayla and Tyler lived deeply and richly until she took her last breath in January 2016. Kayla has since graduated from the University of Lethbridge where she studied psychology with the help of a Derek Wandzura Memorial Scholarship from Kids Cancer Care.
“Kayla has climbed many mountains and today remains cancer-free,” says Carolina. “Her journey has been inspirational with her courage and determination.”
These days, Carolina is pouring her heart into the Camp Kindle Expansion and Accessibility Campaign for children like Kayla. The project will expand capacity, enhance outdoor and indoor program spaces and improve accessibility for children with mobility issues. It includes the following buildings and structures:
- A multi-purpose building with an arts and craft workshop, teaching and learning kitchen, a wellness hub and collaboration stations to ignite creativity, culinary innovation, connection and collaboration;
- Staff residences to look after the hardworking staff who care for the children and Camp Kindle operations;
- A treehouse village that will stir curiosity and wonder in young minds, inspiring imaginative play, active learning and movement;
- An outdoor percussion playground named Christine’s Conservatory that will offer a creative outlet for future musicians and composers while honouring the 30-year legacy of Kids Cancer Care’s founder Christine McIver; and
- Landscaping and accessibility enhancements such as switchbacks instead of stairs to connect the Upper and Lower Kindle Villages.
Carolina’s experiences as a cancer survivor and a High Hopes Challenger give her precious insight into the importance of cancer camps in kids’ lives, uniquely qualifying her to lead the campaign.
“Camp restores childhoods,” says Carolina. “It gives them opportunities to develop lifelong friendships and skills that sustain them as they return to the day-to-day realities of cancer and its late effects.”
Tracey Martin, CEO of Kids Cancer Care agrees: “Children with cancer miss out on a lot, like playdates, school, sports and other extra-curricular activities — experiences that are essential for healthy brain development. Without these early life experiences, kids affected by cancer can fall behind, leading to gaps in skills and development. Camp helps reconnect these kids to their childhoods.”
Childhood cancer survivors also live with at least one chronic or life-threatening health condition related to their cancer treatments. These conditions grow worse with age and without any apparent plateau. They also experience higher rates of depression and anxiety and have lower outcomes in school and work. Kids Cancer Care programs are designed to address these cancer-related conditions to help level the playing field for them.
“I give thanks that I was diagnosed with cancer as an adult rather than a child who has not had the privilege of growing up without the constraints and challenges of this terrible disease that robs them of their innocent youth,” says Carolina. “This is why I volunteer my time and offer what I can to make the world a better place for all the vulnerable children and families who hear the words: ‘You have cancer.’”
“I am so blessed to finish my working career with Kids Cancer Care by doing something I love, that is raising funds, for a place I love — Camp Kindle — with a friend I love, my dear Carolina!” says Christine. “ Together we enjoy nothing more than sharing the campaign plans with prospective donors and watching them transform into donors.”
Carolina feels the same way: “I am honoured to chair the capital campaign. My heartfelt thanks go out to the many business colleagues, friends and supporters for their incredible generosity. They are helping shape the lives of young people. Together we can continue to offer a safe sanctuary where children with cancer can escape and just be kids. I encourage everyone to be part of this magical place. I know I will as I continue to share the gift of caring and support.”
“We are deeply grateful to the generous individuals, businesses, government and construction partners who have embraced our mission to provide the best care and support for kids with cancer by connecting them with their childhood through the Camp Kindle project,” says Tracey.
Kids Cancer Care expects to finish the project by the fall of 2025.
To support the Camp Kindle Expansion and Accessibility Project DONATE BELOW.
Thank you for sharing your spark with Kids Cancer Care, Carolina. You are making Camp Kindle even more magical and accessible for kids affected by cancer.
Special thanks to members of the capital fundraising cabinet:
Carolina Oxtoby
Bill Black
Lyle Edwards
Mark Hodgson
Thilo Kaufmann
Christine McIver
