The Childhood Cancer Foundation wishes all our friends a very Happy New Year.

February 15 is International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

This is a world-wide opportunity to put a spotlight on childhood cancer with fundraising efforts and information sharing. Contact us for We Will Win wristbands and Foundation brochures to help you create a fundraiser or share information to help support 10,000 children in Canada who are in treatment for cancer. Call us at 1-800 363-1062 to place an order.

Click here for tips about what you can do to help: http://www.childhoodcancer.ca/spec_events/awareness_tip_sheet.html

National Cancer Leadership Forum

If you belong to a member organization of the NCLF you need to register for the Feb. 23-26 th Forum in Aylmer , Quebec . www.cancerforum.ca

Generous support

The Childhood Cancer Foundation’s stable of generous corporate supporters continues to grow and diversify. The Foundation welcomes the following organizations to the cause and thanks them for their recent gifts in support of our children and their families:

The Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada
ING Insurance
The Ronald McDonald Foundation
University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine*
Purolator Canada
Hoffman LaRoche
TPH (The Printing House)

*Students and hockey players shave heads for paediatric cancer research

Students at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine are having their annual fundraiser and designating their funds to paediatric cancer research through the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Heads will be shaved and long locks cut short at the Ottawa 67’s game on January 20. To donate, visit www.childhoodcancer.ca and click on Shave for a Cure.

New Family Support Kit

Check out this little movie

We found this link to a short, inspiring little movie recently on a CaringBridge Web site. www.thesurvivormovie.com

Setting up a Web site for a child with cancer

Many families use a web site as a way to keep their family and friends updated on their child’s cancer journey. An easy way to do this, at no cost, is through www.caringbridge.org
They say, “Creating a CaringBridge site is easy. Complete 3 simple steps, and you'll have an active site in just 5 minutes.

Step 1 - Give us some basic information about yourself and your loved one.
Step 2 - Choose a site style that fits your needs.
Step 3 - Select privacy settings for your CaringBridge site.

Order a book or CD - support the cause!

In the News

News from ICCCPO Annual Meeting

NCLF Advocacy Bulletin, January 4 th, 2006

Cancer community celebrates a late, great Christmas promise from the Liberals! 

Hot on the heels of last month’s announcement that a new Conservative government will fully implement the five-year Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control at a cost of about $50 million per year, Prime Minister Paul Martin today set out the next steps in the Liberal government’s plan.  The next Liberal government will invest $300 million over five years to help reduce cancer care wait times, improve care and search for better treatments and a cure. The Liberal commitment, built on current federal, provincial and territorial cancer initiatives, includes these new investments in the Strategy:

• $125 million to support the creation of the new Terry Fox Research Institute in Vancouver – a new centre of excellence in cancer research for Canada .
• $100 million in additional support for the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (CSCC) to further assist national information and knowledge transfer coordination efforts.
• $50 million for discovery-based and translational cancer research by leading-edge Canadian organizations, including the Canadian Institutes for Health Research which in 2004-05 invested more than $100 million in cancer research.
• $25 million to establish Terry Fox Cancer Research Chairs at Canadian universities, linked to the new Terry Fox Research Institute.
• In October 2005, the Liberal government announced $59.5 million over five years for the Canadian Strategy on Cancer Control as part of a $300-million, five-year Integrated Strategy on Healthy Living and Chronic Disease. This funding will be maintained.

The cancer community anticipates that all parties will make public their plans for the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control.

ACTION REQUESTED

Election announcements about funding for Canada ’s national plan to control cancer are welcome news for nurses, patients, therapists, professionals and providers who have tirelessly mobilized grassroots support for the past 2 years – but only 2 national parties have made official promises – and promises can be broken.

You can make a big difference in ensuring cancer control is more than a promise – you can make cancer history by getting your local candidates on the record.

Our position

Cancer is a major health issue for Canadians, and knowing that a coordinated strategy across Canada would address this challenge, the Canadian cancer community is calling for all parties in the federal election to commit to the full funding and implementation of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control.

Question to Candidates

What steps will you and your party take to ensure that the campaign promises to fully fund and implement the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control are acted upon as soon as possible?

Remember also to:

• Thank the candidate for their time and attention to this issue and let them know you will be following-up after the election to help support their efforts.

•   Follow up by sending a copy of the November 24 th2005 newspaper ad that outlines the issues at www.controlcancer.ca in “The Campaign - Campaign Ads” with a note to your local candidates and MP.  Let them know their support is essential to advancing Canada 's cancer plan, and we’re not there yet!
  
  For information on candidates:

       1. Find candidates at Elections Canada website, www.elections.ca.
       2. Visit the websites of the candidates in your riding.
       3. Familiarize yourself with the main points in each party's platform.

Sign the petition in support of the CSCC on the website www.controlcancer.ca – and email your colleagues, family and friends to add their names to make the goal of 1 million names by April 1st, 2006!

A FINAL REQUEST… you’re making cancer history and we want to show off the success stories … In preparation for the upcoming 2nd National Cancer Leadership Forum we will be creating a visual display about the grassroots work – the letters, photos, articles, interviews, stories, meetings and other random acts of advocacy – that collectively resulted in the new government action on cancer control.

PLEASE EMAIL copies of letters to the editor, newspaper articles, etc. to [email protected] for a visual time line of collective and individual accomplishments to be exhibited at the upcoming NCLF Forum in Aylmer Quebec, February 23 to 26. Please also include a high-resolution digital image of yourself. The names of those who contribute will be thrown into a hat for a draw for a special prize.

What are you hoping for? 

Please e-mail your thoughts, needs and expectations of this service to Mary Lye at [email protected]. We want this service to be useful to you.

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