More than 10,000 people took to Vancouver’s streets Sunday to fight against breast cancer.
“It was so colourful, and so much fun, and there was so much heart,” said Linda Morris, CEO of the Breast Cancer Foundation, which organizes CIBC The Run for the Cure each year across Canada.
“Everybody really has a strong vision of what they want and that is a future without breast cancer.”
This was the 19th annual run, and national organizers expect to raise $33 million this year, up from $26.5 million last year.
At B.C.’s nine run sites, 22,000 participants helped raise $3.6 million.
“People have various reasons why they are there,” said Morris. “Some have lost someone and so they are there to honour them. There are others who have friends who are survivors and want to make sure that this is the last generation that face that kind of challenge. And of course, some people are survivors themselves that are running.
“There are some big teams, some individuals and one man with a [live] cat on his head.”
Ninety-five per cent of the net funds raised in the region’s run stay there, with the other five per cent going to the central office to help support national cause-related programming.
About $220 million from the foundation has gone into research in the past 24 years.
“It was a great turn out,” said Morris of the run. “I think this year’s [runners] just went all out.”
Premier Gordon Campbell used the run to announce that the province is contributing $500,000 to the foundation’s B.C./Yukon Region to help fund their upcoming Tour for the Cure.
“Breast cancer continues to have a huge impact on women and families all over the province, with about 3,000 people expected to be diagnosed in B.C. this year alone,” said Campbell.
“By helping to raise awareness about the importance of regular mammograms and the ways in which women can protect themselves, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Tour for the Cure will help save lives in B.C.”
The pink Tour for the Cure bus will travel around B.C. next spring, reaching women in urban, rural and remote communities. It will travel to 70 locations over five months.
In 2010, an estimated 23,200 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer, an increase of 500 from 2009.
For information or to make a donation, visit http://www.cbcf.org or call 1-800-561-6111.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.