2019/2020 Annual Report
From the very beginning, so many have worked together to improve the lives of children with cancer and their families. We’ve learned and grown together, laughed and cried together and we’ve come a long way…
Shaped by the hearts and hands of our families, donors, volunteers, sponsors, fundraising partners, researchers and health care professionals, our 25th anniversary video celebrates the role YOU have played and, continue to play, in our vision to provide A cure for every child and care for every family.
advancing children’s cancer research and hospital programs to save and improve lives (since 1999)
participants rebuilding their lives through our year-round camp and outreach programs. (since 1991)
of direct tutoring support and lesson planning benefitting 120 kids with cancer-related learning challenges (since 2015)
kids managing the side effects of cancer treatments with therapeutic exercise at PEER (since 2015)
survivors pursuing post-secondary education with the help of a scholarship (since 2008)
training in pediatric oncology to improve outcomes for children in low-income countries (since 2007)
hours by 6.9K volunteers helping us deliver programs, raise funds and administer the foundation (since 1999)
Radiation and chemo impaired Derek’s ability to walk, speak and learn, but it could not take away his spirit.
On Christmas Eve in 1986, Christine McIver learned that her five-year-old son had a cancerous brain tumour. Years of invasive treatments could not stop it.
When Christine and a group of volunteers offered their first cancer camp in 1991, Derek would not be among those children. He passed away just months before.
While he never did attend his mother’s camp, Derek’s spirit is everywhere at Camp Kindle. It’s in the joy and laughter of every child. It’s in the freedom and wonder they feel. Derek and these kids are the inspiration behind everything at Kids Cancer Care.
Christine establishes the Kids Cancer Camps of Alberta Society, fundraising and organizing camp programs from the basement of her home.
Siblings of children with cancer attend camp for the first time, nearly doubling camper numbers. Christine begins hosting two weeks of camp.
Renting space at Camp Horizon, Christine and a group of volunteers send 36 kids to camp with support from the Canadian Cancer Society.
For children ages 7 to 18, SunMaker is the cornerstone of our camp programs.
Derek and his mom attend a B.C. cancer camp with 20 other Alberta kids. While Derek has fun, Christine learns to run a children’s cancer camp.
Christine McIver’s five-year-old son Derek is diagnosed with medullablastoma – an aggressive brain cancer. Their lives are forever changed.
While the idea of a cancer vaccine may seem like the stuff of sci-fi and fantasy, it may not be that far off.
Thanks to you, University of Calgary researcher Dr. Aru Narendran and his research team are working to develop a pediatric cancer vaccine that will wake up the child’s immune system to fight cancer.
With laboratory testing well under way, Dr. Narendran and his team are only a few years away from bringing the vaccine to clinical trials at the hospital.
Dr. Aru Narendran is named the first Kids Cancer Care Chair in Clinical and Translational Pediatric Oncology Research.
His singular mission is to move promising new therapies from the lab to the hospital for clinical trials in children with cancer. His hope is that standard treatment for children with cancer will one day include cancer vaccines.
With your support, we make a $750,000 gift to help expand the new Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research Lab at U of C’s Cumming School of Medicine. This state-of-the-art research lab houses the Kids Cancer Care Biostorage facility, where patient samples are stored. These samples are advancing children’s cancer research by supporting the work of researchers around the globe.
Dr. Jennifer Chan becomes the second researcher to hold the Kids Cancer Care Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research, leading the ExpAT research team.
With your support, we make a $1-million gift to establish the Kids Cancer Care Chair in Family and Child Cancer Care at U of C’s Faculty of Nursing. As chair holder, Dr. Nancy Moules leads a team of researchers studying the psychological and social impacts of childhood cancer.
Thanks to your support, Kids Cancer Care commits $3.75 million to the Experimental and Applied Therapeutics (ExpAT) research program at ACH and U of C.
ExpAT researchers collaborate with scientists worldwide to develop new and less invasive therapies for children with high-risk cancers, offering them a second chance at life.
Your financial support enables Kids Cancer Care to invest in its first nursing and allied health research projects, including grants for studies in nutrition, social work and psychology.
The Hughes Children’s Cancer Research Centre at U of C’s Faculty of Medicine opens.
The centre is named in honour of the Hughes family, who make the lead gift to our $2.3-million capital research campaign, We Believe.
Dr. Max Coppes becomes the first researcher to hold the Kids Cancer Care Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research.
Kids Cancer Care makes another lead gift to help establish the Hughes Children’s Cancer Research Centre at U of C.
Kids Cancer Care begins supporting the music therapy and Beaded Journey programs at ACH.
With your support, Kids Cancer Care makes the lead gift of $3 million to establish the Kids Cancer Care Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research at
U of C and ACH.
Your support enables Kids Cancer Care to begin funding research establishment awards, new research equipment and technology and promising research initiatives at
U of C.
We also start funding hospital programs such as family education resources, a family bereavement program and psychosocial support for families and siblings.
Kids Cancer Camps expands its mission to begin funding research and hospital programs, changing its name to the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta.
“Cancer may have started the fight, but I’m finishing it!” – Ryane
Diagnosed with cancer at age three, Ryane grew up with camp.
Facing a lifetime of cancer-related learning issues, Ryane found freedom and acceptance at camp. It was vital to her growth and development. Now in our SunSeeker adventure camps and our Teen Leadership Program, Ryane is developing important leadership skills that are setting her up for life.
Construction begins on the 25th Anniversary Picnic Pad, a structure to protect kids from the sun and rain, while they eat and play in the fresh air and enjoy year-round campfires.
With your support, Camp Kindle undergoes further upgrades to beautify the grounds and improve accessibility for campers with mobility issues.
With your support, Kids Cancer Care invests $1 million at Camp Kindle to build an administration building, staff village and to renovate the Enerflex Music Hall.
We expand our Parent Program again to begin offering parent cooking classes, where parents connect in a relaxed atmosphere to share food, friendship and fun.
We ceremoniously burn the Camp Kindle mortgage at Mikey’s Campfire celebration, an event to recognize campaign co-chairs Michael and Linda Shaw and their late son Michael.
Our Parent Program expands, helping parents build community and solidarity as they train and compete together in the Calgary Dragon Boat Festival.
The campaign wraps up with $12.5 million raised – $4.5 million over goal.
We celebrate the official opening of Paddon’s Pool, Grant Skalk Tipi Village, Jack Perraton Volunteer Lodge and Jayman Lodge.
Kids Cancer Care expands its outreach programs to include Time to Remember, a candlelight walk to honour children who have been taken by cancer.
Construction finishes in June and we host a Grand Re-Opening of Camp Kindle.
The ReKindle Clinic opens. In this modern medical clinic, kids receive daily medications, specialized care and other routine medical procedures.
CTV and Albi Renova renovate the Ranch House, creating a home-away-from-home for families.
CANA Construction breaks ground and construction begins. Camp Kindle closes for 10 months during construction.
Kids Cancer Care expands the outreach program to begin delivering home-cooked meals to newly diagnosed families through our new Cooking and Caring program.
A state-of-the-art challenge course is built at Camp Kindle.
We launch SunHaven, a camp program for kids who have a parent with cancer.
The Teen Leadership Program expands with a volunteer service trip to Mexico, where teens build homes for impoverished families.
After years of research and planning, Kids Cancer Care purchases a camp in Water Valley, Alberta, taking possession in August.
The foundation embarks on an $8-million capital fundraising campaign to upgrade camp. Calgary philanthropists Michael and Linda Shaw take the lead as volunteer co-chairs.
Reaching capacity at Easter Seals Camp Horizon, where we rent camp space, the foundation begins to explore new possibilities for offering camp programs.
Our wellness program launches and we begin delivering Wellness Bags, filled with comfort items, entertainment and practical items, to families at the hospital.
With your generous support, we launch Graceful Arts, a monthly program to introduce children to art, drama and music.
Kids Cancer Care begins offering Family Camp every spring and fall.
We launch SunSeeker, a 10-day outdoor, adventure-based camp for teens ages 15 to 16.
Our Young Adult Conference launches, helping teens build transferrable life skills.
The Mentors for Life program for survivors (ages 17 to 24) launches with a mission to provide peer support, increase awareness and raise funds for research.
In collaboration with Theatre Calgary and Candlelighters, Kids Cancer Care begins hosting an annual Christmas Party for families at Theatre Calgary.
Kids Cancer Care expands its camp programs to include a life-skills program for older teens (ages 16 to 18) called Leaders-in-Training.
Collaborating with Candlelighters, we begin providing books and comfort items to families at the hospital, helping to create a network of information and support.
With your support, Kids Cancer Care begins offering year-round camp and community outreach programs with bi-monthly sports, games, arts and crafts, later known as SunDance.
Kids Cancer Care begins hosting weekly Pizza Nights at the hospital, giving families a chance to connect and share information over a warm slice of pizza.
Kids Cancer Camps begins offering SunKeeper, an adventure-based leadership camp for teens.
The spokeskid program launches, offering teens a chance to develop their public speaking skills by representing the foundation at fundraising and awareness events.
Kids Cancer Camps of Alberta expands to begin offering SunRise day camps for kids ages 4 to 7 in Calgary and Edmonton.
Trey Elkins has always wanted to do more.
Growing up without a father, Trey wished he had a dad to take him fishing. He wanted a dad to teach him new things, but that wasn’t possible because Trey had lost his father to cancer.
Battling cancer as a teenager, Trey longed to do more, but he couldn’t because he was undergoing cancer treatments at the hospital.
Now, thanks to you, Trey is finally doing more. With the help of a scholarship, he studied advanced paramedics and is now providing air ambulance paramedic services to Albertans in remote areas.
Originally developed in 2003, our Cancer in the Classroom program undergoes a redesign. The interactive presentation is designed to foster greater empathy and understanding about childhood cancer in school kids, while providing much-needed support to kids with cancer returning to school.
With your support, we launch our new Education Support Program, offering in-home, one-to-one tutoring for children struggling with cancer-related learning issues.
Kids Cancer Care awards its first scholarships to 24 cancer survivors in southern Alberta.
With generous community support, the foundation establishes the Derek Wandzura Memorial Scholarship Fund, an endowed fund administered by the Calgary Foundation.
“The difference in Archer is like night and day. This medical stuff is so ordinary now. We call the NG tube his tubey because it’s not a medical instrument. It’s a play thing, a toy.”– Graham Daniel
Once terrified of medical procedures, Archer learned to master his fear through our Child Life at Home program. Using medical play, our child life specialist gradually introduced Archer to medical instruments and procedures. As he grew more comfortable, he became less frightened during real medical procedures. Now Archer’s acing all of his medical appointments.
Kids Cancer Care launches Child Life at Home, featuring one-to-one sessions in the child’s home to help manage their fear and anxiety around medical procedures.
With your support, we’re able to reach more kids through our PEER exercise program, offering one-to-one exercise sessions to kids who need extra help and six weekly group sessions at two locations in Calgary.
Your support enables us to launch our recreation-based child life program, using medical play and art to help kids manage their fear and anxiety around medical procedures.
We begin offering therapeutic exercise classes through the Pediatric Oncology Patients and Survivors Engaging in Exercise for Recovery (PEER) program.
Developed by U of C and ACH health researchers, PEER is the only cancer-specific exercise program for children in Canada and is designed to mitigate long-term side-effects.
“We can’t save all the children of India, but with very small effort and resources, we can save a lot more.”– Dr. Deepak Bansal
After his residency with the HOT* program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Dr. Deepak Bansal took his new skills and knowledge back home to India.
With only three oncologists serving over 600 newly diagnosed kids every year, the hospital where he worked was sorely understaffed. Dr. Bansal soon changed this. He and his colleagues established the first children’s transplant and residency training program in Chandigarh, India, where they are training tomorrow’s pediatric oncologists.
* Kids Cancer Care International Residency Training Program in Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation
Dr. Jaspreet Gharial from Kenya is the fifth international resident to train in the HOT program. He is currently completing his second year.
Dr. Muthoni (Joy) Mburu from Kenya is the fourth resident to train in the HOT program, finishing her training in 2018.
Dr. Ravi Shah Singh also from India is the third resident to train in the HOT program and finishes his residency in 2015.
Dr. Gurpreet Singh from India is the second resident to train in the HOT program, completing his residency in 2012.
The Kids Cancer Care International Residency Training Program in Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation (HOT) launches at ACH.
Dr. Deepak Bansal from India is the first international resident to train in the program, finishing in 2009.
“I imagine a world where there’s a cure for every child and I believe this is a world we can create together.”– Christine McIver, Founder & CEO
I believe in the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of human compassion. I believe in human kindness and generosity and I believe that a cure for childhood cancer is within reach. I believe a better world for children with cancer is possible in our lifetime.
Let’s build that world together.
End childhood cancer.
Thank you for supporting our fight to end childhood cancer.
