#CommunityOverCovid - Community Support Keeps Cancer Foundation Afloat
2020 was a challenging year for Albertans and small businesses alike. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact how we interact and conduct business daily, non-profits across the province are also feeling the financial strain.
One such organization is the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. Founded over 25 years ago, Kids Cancer Care initially offered camp programs to children who suffer from cancer. Today, the foundation has expanded to become one of the country’s largest childhood cancer research funders. It offers more than 20 year-round summer camp and outreach programs, along with education-support programs and services to Alberta families.
But, the COVID-19 pandemic and the social restrictions that have been put in place to protect Albertans have had a major impact on the foundation’s revenue stream.
“The lion’s share of our revenue comes from fundraising events and Camp Kindle rentals,” said Genine Neufeld, Director of Philanthropy at Kids Cancer Care. “As fundraising events and camp rentals cancelled en masse, we lost a major source of revenue.”
Charities and non-profits like Kids Cancer Care are looking for new and unique ways to fund their programs and services in our new normal.
“We are all learning as we go, but we are a small and nimble charity, so we have been able to adapt for the most part,” said Neufeld. “That said, even before the pandemic, fundraising in Alberta has been difficult. We are probably looking at another two or three challenging fundraising years ahead. It’s not going to be easy.”
To help support their fundraising efforts, the foundation has decided to partner with a local utility provider, Brighter Futures Energy (BFE), as part of its Community Partner program. Albertans can now support Kids Cancer Care through the purchase of electricity and natural gas. BFE has committed to donating 10% of its profits to the Foundation each year, starting January 1, 2021.
“We are thrilled to partner with Brighter Futures Energy,” said Neufeld. “It is community-minded businesses like this that make Alberta a better place to live and work. We are so grateful for the support and look forward to creating brighter futures together for children affected by cancer.”
“We are always looking for ways in which we can support the communities in which we live and work,” said Nick Clark, Director of Brighter Futures Energy. “We are so proud to be able to provide a way to help deserving organizations like this survive these challenging times. Everyone needs to buy electricity and gas, so why not purchase it in a way that also supports a good cause?”
In addition to supporting a very worthy cause, the benefits of choosing a competitive utility provider in the UTILITYnet network, like Brighter Futures, includes:
- Local Customer Care: When you call Brighter Futures, you are speaking to someone in Alberta, not directed to a call center overseas.
- AIR MILES® Reward Program: in December of 2020 Brighter Futures announced its partnership with Canada's most recognized loyalty program. Customers that sign up for a new electricity account with Brighter Futures will get 25 AIR MILES® Reward Miles. Plus, they will be entered for a chance to win weekly prize draws of 100 Miles and monthly draws of 1,000 Miles.*
- Risk-Free: At Brighter Futures, you are never locked into a fixed-term contract. Switch rates or cancel at any time, penalty-free, with just 10 days' notice.
- Green Energy Options: To help green Alberta's grid, customers have the option of greening all or a portion of their electricity bill each month.
- Customer-Centric Programs: Budget billing, Pick a Date, Credit Card Pre-payment, Referral programs, and more.
Adapting to the “New Normal”
Physical distancing restrictions haven’t meant that Kids Cancer Care had to shutter its amazing programs altogether. The talented and innovative staff faced the challenging task of adapting their existing services to continue supporting families.
“The pandemic changed our program model drastically,” said Tracey Stahn, Manager of Outreach and Volunteers at Kids Cancer Care. “We offer many large-group recreational programs that we just couldn’t offer online, like summer camp and family brunch. We had to get creative really fast, add new programs we had never done before, and add them quickly to supplement the programs we lost.”
Programs that the foundation could adapt online, such as tutoring, were generally an easy transition, and the team was able to work out any kinks fairly quickly. But other programs such as the PEER exercise program and Child Life program were much more involved and challenging to offer virtually.
“These therapeutic programs serve kids ages three to 12 in group settings, and we quickly realized how difficult it is to keep young children focused and engaged in a group setting online. When working with a child in person, you can see what they need to work on, and you can pull them aside and give constructive feedback or adaptations without getting their peers involved. Online, it is more difficult to watch for specific struggles and provide constructive feedback without the child feeling they were called out in front of their peers.
There are definitely a lot of pros and cons to the virtual program world, but nothing beats in-person interaction. We hope to go back to it soon; however, we are now set up to reach families who do not live in Calgary, and we can provide them meaningful programs and services online, which ultimately means we can serve more kids across the province, so we’re really excited about that.”
Stahn says the Child Life programs for children and parents were one of the most successful online as they provided the whole family with a chance to connect and participate in a variety of activities such as hockey trivia with Calgary Flames defenceman Juuso Välimäki, ice-cream making, science experiments, a magician, and more.
Additionally, the restrictions related to the pandemic have meant that the foundation’s popular Camp Kindle has also seen major changes in its operations since March 2020, earning a new nickname, ‘Glamp Kindle.’
With only two families onsite at any given time, each stay for three days. One family is housed in the Upper Kindle Village, while the other stays in the Lower Kindle Village. Activities are organized so that the families are on two different schedules, so they don’t interact with each other. Staff also keep their distance from the families, preparing a welcome package and all the activities beforehand and leaving it in the lodge for the family.
“We really wanted to offer our most vulnerable children a chance to go to camp this summer, so we invited families to come out to camp for a family vacation,” said Leighana Shockey, Director of Camp Operations. “Families who haven’t been able to leave the house for months are enjoying a family vacation in the Foothills. It is so good for these families to get away for a few days.”
Because the foundation works with immunocompromised children, the camp already operates under the guidance of a medical advisory committee and COCA-I (Children’s Oncology Camping Association International), following the strictest protocols for safety and cleanliness. Since COVID-19, these cleaning regimes have been intensified. Before and after each family, the camp’s professional cleaning contractor and volunteers thoroughly clean and disinfect the premises, every toy, and every surface, so it is safe and hygienic.
Supporting Kids Cancer Care
In addition to signing up for electricity and natural gas services with BFE, those looking to support Kids Cancer Care in these challenging times can:
- Donate.
- Purchase tickets to the Parents’ Quest for the Cure No Show 2021 Gala.
- Participate in the Back to Basics Bottle Drive. You don’t even have to get out of your car. Saturday, March 6, from 10 am to 3 pm, just pop open your trunk, and the foundation’s staff or volunteers will grab your bagged or boxed empties.
“We encourage everyone and anyone to get involved. You would be surprised at what an incredible impact you can make, even during a global pandemic,” said Neufeld. “Everything we do depends on our community. We may not be able to be together right now, but we are together. COVID-19 has taken a lot away, but it cannot take away our community spirit. We’re Albertans.”
To learn more about getting involved, visit kidscancercare.ab.ca.