Canadian Cancer Society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Canadian Cancer Society Société canadienne du cancer |
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| Abbreviation | CCS / SCC |
| Type | Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage |
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose/focus | advocate and public voice, educator and network |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Region served | Canada |
| Official languages | English, French |
| Website | http://www.cancer.ca/ |
The Canadian Cancer Society (French: Société canadienne du cancer) is a volunteer-based organization which seeks to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of those suffering from it.
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[edit] History
The society was formed in 1938 in order to educate Canadians about the early-warning signs of the disease, because prior to that time, many people did not seek medical help until their cancer had advanced past a treatable stage. Since its founding, the society has been granted royal patronage by the Canadian Sovereign, currently Elizabeth II.
[edit] Mission
The Society focuses its efforts and its financial resources in these areas:
- It funds research programs. The money raised by the Society is allocated through a review process to research programs across Canada.
- It advocates for social and political changes which will result in fewer deaths from cancer. For instance, the Society has been active in the drive to eliminate cigarette smoke from areas where people gather.
- Through prevention, it seeks to educate people on healthy lifestyle choices which will reduce the incidence of cancer.
- It provides information on issues surrounding cancer and wellness, which allow people to make informed choices.
- It offers support in the form of individual and group programs for cancer victims, caregivers, family, and friends.
In a 2005 audit by KPMG, the Society reported a revenue of $150,718,000 CAD. A breakdown of disbursements shows 28% of the Society's revenues going to fund research, 17% to provide support for people living with cancer, 7% to pay for information campaigns, 6% to fund prevention, and 2% to provide advocacy. Fundraising consumes 27% of the Society's revenue, and 6% is given over to management costs.
[edit] Daffodils
The logo for the Canadian Cancer Society is the daffodil. The flower had served as a symbol of cancer awareness since the 1950s, when volunteers for the Society organized a tea in Toronto; the volunteers used daffodils to decorate the tables, as they thought it would create hope that cancer could be beaten. The use of daffodils for fundraising began in 1956, when volunteers handed out daffodils at Toronto-area restaurants, as means to spread the message about cancer awareness; at first, the daffodils were given to the patrons, just to get the word out about cancer, but when some wanted to pay for the flowers or make a donation, it was realized that the daffodils could be used as a fundraising tool for the Society.
This led to the first daffodil days in the spring of 1957, when Society volunteers in Toronto raised over $1200 on sales of daffodils. The idea would later expand to the rest of Canada and to Cancer organizations throughout the world, including the American Cancer Society, the Irish Cancer Society and The Cancer Council Australia. The daffodil would become the symbol of hope in the fight against cancer.
Today, the Society is the world's largest purchaser of daffodils, buying them from farms in British Columbia, where planting season for daffodils begin earlier than the rest of Canada.
In the late-1990s[when?], the Canadian Cancer Society would adopt the daffodil as part of its new logo, replacing the sword and snakes logo similar to the American Cancer Society. Other than the American Cancer Society, many cancer organizations would likewise incorporate the daffodil in their logos.
