Durham Region Volunteers Gerrie Wonnacott and Sara Stewart Honoured at the
3rd Annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region Volunteer
Awards Ceremony

TORONTO, April 18 /CNW/ - Two Durham Region-based volunteers are doing the extraordinary and were honoured at the 3rd Annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region Volunteer Awards Ceremony that took place earlier today, Sunday, April 18, 2010, in Toronto.

As a Run Director for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure for the past six years in Oshawa, Gerrie Wonnacott has earned a reputation as an inspired leader eager to face any challenge. She is described by team members as eternally optimistic, and as "a person who has demonstrated, year over year, the passion and dedication it takes to make a difference in the lives of many." That is why, as part of the 3rd Annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region Volunteer Awards Ceremony, Gerrie was granted the Returning Run Director Award. This award is presented to a veteran Run Director who demonstrates leadership, vision, a willingness to motivate others and promote team work among their Run Committee members.

At the age of ten, Sara Stewart was an unofficial 2009 Run for the Cure committee member for Durham Region. Always the first to volunteer for any job, she jumped at the chance when the 2009 Survivor Tent Challenge was first proposed. Sara baked 225 pink ribbon cupcakes for all the survivors, and was the Survivor Ambassador for the day. Because of her efforts, Durham Region won the 2009 Survivor Tent Challenge in Ontario. The kind of ambassador the Foundation would like to have on board for years to come, Sara won the Youth Award, the award given to a volunteer under the age of 18 who demonstrates a commitment to creating a future without breast cancer.

The Foundation was started in 1986 by a group of volunteers and it remains a volunteer-led organization. The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, the Foundation's signature event, is the largest, single-day, volunteer-led event in support of breast cancer in Canada, uniting more than 70,000 participants and 6,000 volunteers in Ontario alone.

"This disease touches thousands of women and their families every year," says Sandra Palmaro, CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region. "The depth and breadth of our volunteer commitment demonstrates the importance and pervasiveness of the cause."

The Volunteer Awards Ceremony is held in recognition of National Volunteer Week, but the success of Foundation volunteers is evident year round. Because of the contribution of time and skill of these individuals and the dedication to the cause they inspire in others, incredible advances in breast cancer research are being made possible.

"Progress in our lifetime is more than possible - it's proven," adds Palmaro. "Real change is happening - change that is saving and improving lives. This is the day we thank our volunteers and acknowledge their extraordinary contributions to our goal of creating a future without breast cancer. We can't thank them enough."

The Foundation's Ontario Region was proud to recognize these distinguished volunteers as winners at the 3rd Annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region Volunteer Awards Ceremony. Thanks to their efforts and those of others like them, the Foundation can continue to work towards creating a future without breast cancer.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation was founded in 1986 as the first organization in the country devoted exclusively to the funding of breast cancer research, education and awareness initiatives. The Foundation continues to blaze new trails in breast cancer and breast health by directing donor dollars to world-class researchers and clinicians who are contributing to groundbreaking progress in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Since 2000, the Foundation has directed more than $68 million to the cause in Ontario alone as a result of fundraising initiatives like our signature event the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, hundreds of thousands of donors and the efforts of a committed volunteer network numbering in the thousands.

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