MONTREAL, June 19, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Cancer Society's 94 Relay For Life events, which took place across Quebec, raised $12,183,695 to help save more lives through prevention, research and support.
This impressive figure was announced during the Relay For Life in Montréal-Centre held at the Quai de l'Horloge in Old Montreal, in the presence of Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, the city's elected municipal leaders, the CCS Board Chair and FTM Synergis Capital Executive Vice President Pierre B. Lafrenière, the CCS incumbent Board Vice-Chair and Financial Director at the Barreau du Québec Pierre Richard, and board member Liza Frulla. Several CCS employees and volunteers as well as 100 cancer survivors with their caregivers and some 400 walkers also participated in the event.
"In 2015, the Relay For Life has once again been a great success. A very big thank you to everyone who helped organize a Relay For Life event. Thanks to volunteers, participants and donors. Thanks also to the cities and villages that continue to support us year after year. Without them, it would be impossible to raise such an impressive sum," says Suzanne Dubois, Executive Director, CCS – Quebec Division.
For his part, the CCS – Quebec Division Board Chair and FTM Synergis Capital Executive Vice President Pierre B. Lafrenière says that "The $12 million raised will help the CCS tackle the many challenges that fighting cancer raises. The Canadian Cancer Society wants to reduce the number of cancer cases as well as cancer deaths and enhance the quality of life of people living with the disease. Thanks to public support, today, it's the charity with the greatest impact on more cancers in more communities than any other cancer organization in Quebec."
The Relay For Life is a 12-hour walk by night to celebrate life in spite of cancer, remember people touched by the disease and fight back together to save more lives. It's an exceptional moment, a night shared with family, friends and colleagues in which we can show our support tangibly to those we love who are living with cancer.
More than 35,000 Quebecers participate every year in the CCS's Relay For Life. It symbolizes and throws light on what a person living with cancer goes through. For all those who have to face this disease, the walk is long and sometimes difficult. They must sometimes go the distance alone, sometimes with a team, sometimes in silence, sometimes with laughter and joy. In the morning, when the sun rises, it's a new day, a fresh start made together. One step further in the fight against cancer!
Relay to save more lives
With the support of 300,000 donors annually and 30,000 volunteers, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is the Quebec cancer charity that has the greatest potential to save more lives. Each year, some 135,000 turn to it for help. The CCS is doing all it can to increase the overall cancer survival rate, which is currently 63%, to 80% by 2030.
The money raised by the CCS helps:
- prevent more cancers and push for laws that protect public health
- fund more research projects
- support more people living with cancer
Let's save more lives. Visit cancer.ca or call us at 1 888 939-3333.
SOURCE Canadian Cancer Society, Quebec Division
André Beaulieu, Spokesperson and Senior Advisor, Public Relations, Canadian Cancer Society - Quebec Division, [email protected], 514 393-3444
Share this article