Mudderella is Proud to Partner with CBCF for the Second Year in a Row

A HUGE thank you to Toronto and Whistler Mudderellas for the fundraising you did in 2015. In total, you raised over $70,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) which funds innovative research, health education and advocacy programs that aim to reduce the incidence of breast cancer, lower mortality rates and support women and their families who experience breast cancer. To learn more about the important work done by the Foundation in 2015, click here to view the CBCF Community Report.

In 2016, Mudderella will be back in Toronto and Whistler and we’d like to challenge you to sign up for an event and begin fundraising now for this amazing cause. Every dollar you raise helps those affected by breast cancer: women, their families and communities across Canada.

Not sure how to start fundraising? It’s simple – choose your event from the Mudderella 2016 lineup and checkout, then follow the fundraising prompt on the Eventbrite confirmation page! Learn more about our partnership with CBCF and how you can make significant results by visiting our webpage.

The Mudderella community never ceases to amaze us – you’re passionate, strong and powerful women who are always up for a new challenge. We’re confident that in 2016 we’ll Own Our Strong more than ever before, and inspire women and their families across Canada to own theirs too while supporting the breast cancer cause.

We look forward to seeing you in the mud – get ready, get set, go fundraise!

- Mudderella HQ

CBCF Proudly Awards a Total of $2.2 Million Through Its Annual Grant Programs

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) is the largest charitable funder of breast cancer research in Canada. Since 1986, CBCF has invested over $300 million to fund more than 690 relevant and innovative research projects that have led to progress in breast cancer prevention, earlier detection, diagnosis, treatment and care. Breast cancer mortality rates have decreased by 44% since their peak in 1986 in large part due to research advancements.

2015 Fellowship Recipients

As we come to the end of 2015, we are pleased to announce that $2.2 million was awarded in grants this past year in British Columbia, thanks to the ongoing support and generosity of our donors. Please join CBCF in recognizing the talented researchers and community groups who were the recipients of these:

• Five Operating Grants to Principal Investigators – $1M
• Six Fellowships* – $458K
• Four Studentships – $24K
• Five Community Health Grants – $353K 
• Four Small Initiative Grants – $22K
• 24 Dragon Boat Team Grants – $58K
• A multi-year partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart and the Screening Mammography Program of BC to fund three mobile digital mammography coaches. The first grant of $300K was awarded, with one coach unveiled in February 2015. The remaining two are expected to launch in February 2016.

Team at Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation granted for their Areola Tattoo Clinic

CBCF’s grant applications undergo a rigorous peer-review by a panel of experts to ensure that every donor dollar supports the most promising breast cancer research and community projects.

It is worth noting that the breast cancer mortality rate in Canada is the lowest it has been since 1950. The 5-year survival rate in Canada is 88% and in BC is 91.8%. These statistics are significant, and the Foundation believes that investing in research and community health grants has contributed to this progress. We look forward to further advancements in 2016.

Learn more about CBCF and our fiscal 2015 highlights by visiting the CBCF Community Report: 2015cbcfcommunityreport.com. 

*The CBCF Fellowship program is proudly funded by the Nite of Hope™.

On Tour with CBCF

It’s no secret that I love my job. Don’t get me wrong, I’d happily be looking for other work if they found a cure for cancer tomorrow or if I was able to eradicate this disease myself, but until that time, helping to share information and empower people to know more and do better when it comes to their breast health is the next best thing.

Don’t Forget to Check on Tour supported by RBC Foundation is a campaign I manage and its goal is to reach young women and men, age 18-25, with our breast health information and risk reduction messaging. The campaign takes place in September and October when we visit post-secondary campuses throughout British Columbia as they’re getting into their fall semester after the summer break.

One of the reasons why I enjoy this campaign as much as I do is because of how receptive the students are. It is our opportunity to interact with them in a casual, fun way, while sharing important breast health and risk reduction messaging.  We hand out materials that are engaging and practical and we use our breast health trivia wheel for conversation and information sharing. It is hard nowadays to meet someone who hasn’t been affected  by breast cancer in some way, and these young students are no exception. Everyone has a story, but not everyone has all the facts. That is where we come in. My favourite memories on campus are the, as Oprah calls them, “a-ha” moments. Those moments when we’ve shared something they didn’t know before or helped to clear up a misconception they had.

Many post-secondary students are away from home for the first time when they go to college/university and the risk reduction messaging we share informs them that by adopting behaviours such as being active, eating well, limiting alcohol, not smoking, and knowing how their breasts normally look and feel, they can greatly affect their breast health. I am not naive enough to think that we can influence all of their behaviours, but I do believe that we arm them with the knowledge (and the “why” behind it) to make better informed decisions – that right there is one of the many reasons I love my job.

Knowledge is power, right?

Amanda McNally
Community Relations Specialist
akmcknally@cbcf.org