Charity Spotlight Series - CancerCare Manitoba
Today we’d like to spotlight CancerCare Manitoba and their efforts in creating a world free of cancer.
This charity was selected by Kelly Sommerfield- one of our Camp Rover Conference 2024 Educators. If you didn’t already know this is something we do with each speaker we bring on; we want to give back to causes that matter to the people that matter to us.
What does CancerCare Manitoba focus on in their efforts to serve the community?
“CancerCare Manitoba’s mission is to reduce and, where possible, eliminate the burden of cancer on the people of Manitoba through exemplary programs of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, continuing care, research and education.
CancerCare Manitoba’s pledge is to provide evidence-based, high quality and equitable care for all people in our richly diverse province. Ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, age, identity and gender are respected and factored into cancer planning. We also acknowledge the challenges of racism and cultural safety in society – challenges which must be compassionately understood in order to provide equitable care. Our enduring commitment to health equity enables the best cancer outcomes and improves the patient experience for all.
CancerCare Manitoba is committed to a culture of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the delivery of care, and all of the organization’s operations, including research and education.
Indigenous People have a special status and deserve a special commitment from CancerCare Manitoba in accordance with the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.” - CancerCare Manitoba (website)
How did CancerCare Manitoba come to be?
“The CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute is the most recent stage of a long and proud history of research in cancer and blood disorders in Manitoba.
Both of CancerCare Manitoba’s predecessor organizations - the Manitoba Cancer Relief and Research Institute (1930-1957) and the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation (1957-1999) - included research components.
For almost half a century (1969-2015), the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology (MICB) was recognized for many successes in discovery-based and translational research. MICB also established several multi-disciplinary research teams (e.g., the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia CLLuster, the Manitoba Breast Cancer Research Group) and research platforms (e.g., Manitoba Tumour Bank), which are now part of the Research Institute.” - CancerCare Manitoba (website)
What are the biggest challenges that CancerCare Manitoba face?
Increase in Demand -The number of cancer cases in Manitoba is projected to rise dramatically over the next two decades.
Sustainability of Services - An increase in strategic investment will be needed to provide the material, space, and human resources to effectively manage the increase in clinical demand, the rising cost of providing state-of-the-art services and to undertake new initiatives.
Patient Experience - As the number of patients in the cancer system increases, and treatment and technology become more sophisticated, the time spent with patients must be carefully coordinated to ensure their understanding of complex information. Patient navigation can be challenging and requires careful planning and coordination to ensure a positive patient experience.” - CCMB Progress Report 2018-2019
“Post Covid-19 Pandemic - Working within the pandemic environment for two years brought challenges to CanceCare Manitoba’s patients, staff and operations. At this point in time, we feel we are in the post-pandemic recovery phase while remaining watchful and protective of our current environment at CCMB.” - APR-2021-22 Final
Do you have a current fundraiser or program you'd like to share with the Camp Rover Community?
“Volunteering Makes a Difference.
CancerCare Manitoba is proud of its volunteers, who contribute more than 25,000 hours each year to help provide excellent patient care through a variety of roles.
Volunteers come from different backgrounds, with many of them giving back because they or a loved one have been touched by cancer.
Volunteer opportunities are available weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at two sites: McDermot Avenue, St. Boniface, the Breast and Gyne Centre of Hope, and Prevention and Screening Programs. Different volunteer positions are available at each site.
The time commitment for volunteering is one morning or one afternoon per week. There is a minimum three-month commitment. You can also volunteer on an occasional basis at special events through the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.” - Ways to Help, CancerCare Manitoba (website)
How can the Camp Rover Community give back to CancerCare Manitoba? What needs do you need to be filled right now?
“Become a Patient and Family Advisor
People who have a cancer experience as either a patient or a family member may choose to become involved as an advisor to the CCMB team in the following ways:
Ongoing committees and working groups
Speaking about their healthcare experiences to groups of leaders, staff and healthcare providers
Participating in focus groups aimed at understanding patient experience
Providing feedback on patient education materials, policies and documents, or discussion topics via email, telephone or online
The level of commitment is flexible and we work to match you with projects and topics of interest to you.” - Ways to Help, CancerCare Manitoba (website)
Want to give financially CancerCare Manitoba? You can find their donation page here!
Want to support them on their socials?
You can find CancerCare Manitoba on their Instagram, Facebook or website.
Have a charity or non-profit you’d like us to spotlight? We’d love to! Fill out our Google Form to submit your cause.
Donation Note: All donations will be going to each charity agreed to - via our speaker contracts - post Camp Rover Conference 2024.
