The dragon boat races are back for Canada Day this year. Canadian Cancer Society Dragon Boat Festival fundraising coordinator Dave McKnight shares the many benefits it offers.
He explains how it works.
"All you need is really ten people. You know, five couples can get together. You do need a drummer, so it's eleven people I guess. It's as easy as that. So, we have families, we have businesses, we have small groups, anybody that can get eleven folks together. In the morning we have a practice session with experienced coaches. All they need to do is register and come down to the PCU Centre on Canada Day morning."
McKnight says the money goes toward research, services, and support programs in the province. One of them is their transport program. He notes they cover Portage and surrounding areas for transportation to and from treatment. Then there's their advocacy work. McKnight says in 2011 they successfully convinced the province to cover chemo drugs and cancer treatment drugs for those who are fighting cancer on an outpatient basis, outside the hospital. Since that was introduced, over 14,000 families have benefited, amounting to $82 million in drug cost savings. In Portage there were 223 families who benefited, and that saved over $630,000 in drug costs. McKnight says Manitoba's the second province in Canada to do this, and it's all thanks to senior staff and senior volunteers who lobbied for it.
He adds you do need to register your teams ahead of time. There's an early bird sale currently running until June 17th where you can save $100 per team.
Contact Jennifer Roy, community coordinator, at: jroy@mb.cancer.ca, (204) 871-6241.
Website entry form: http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?fr_id=22019&pg=entry
Thu, Apr 25, 5:00 PM
Transport, Casual, Contract, Full-time, Part-time, Seasonal
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