Members continue to save and change lives with $2.6 million raised for blood cancer research, education, and outreach
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Toronto – June 20, 2014 – The combined efforts of UFCW Canada activists, family members, and Local Unions over the past year have once again made UFCW Canada the largest annual fundraising organization in the country supporting the life-saving research, education, and outreach efforts of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).
At the 25th Annual UFCW Canada Leukemia Gala held on June 20 in Toronto, UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema announced that Canada's best union raised $2.6 million dollars in support of LLSC research, education, and outreach over the past year. The funds are used not only to find a cure and better treatments for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, but also to raise awareness of these diseases and to reach out to those suffering from blood cancer.
"The fundraising efforts of UFCW members and Local Unions over the years have touched thousands of families by providing comfort and hope through better therapies and patient support, and by raising public awareness that blood cancer is a battle that can be won," President Meinema told the hundreds of UFCW Canada activists at the gala. "It is a battle that we will continue to fight, and one that must be fought until a cure is found for all blood cancers,”said the National President.
The Leukemia Gala annually celebrates the incredible fundraising efforts of UFCW Canada members and Local Unions, which have been ongoing since the 1980s. Every year UFCW Canada members, family, and allies organize and participate in numerous fundraising activities such as raffles, community picnics, 50-50 draws, car washes, baseball tournaments, ride-a-thons, marathons, relays, and Light the Night walks to raise money for the fight against blood cancer.
"Returns for Leukemia" is another major pillar of the overall fundraising effort, with a province-wide Ontario campaign that converts deposits on bottles into donations. At the gala, UFCW Canada Local 12R24 announced that this year's "Returns for Leukemia" raised an astonishing $1.7 million.
Altogether, the overall total raised by all UFCW Canada efforts since the mid-1980s has now reached over $31 million. This enduring effort has made UFCW Canada the LLSC's most valued partner, as our union continues to be the largest annual supporter of the Society's life-changing and life-saving efforts.