Sun Squads
Roaming teams of Canadian Cancer Society volunteers help make it easier for you and your family to always use your Sun Sense with free sun safety information and sunscreen samples.  To inquire about locations or request a Sun Squad for your outdoor event, contact our Health Promotion Coordinator at 604.215.5468.

Why avoid excessive exposure to UV rays?

No one is completely safe from the sun. In Canada, sunlight is strong enough to cause skin cancer and premature aging of the skin & skin cancer is now the most common cancer in Canada. The risk of skin cancer today is much greater than it was 20 years ago and continues to increase. When it comes to skin cancer, early detection is key to prevention and treatment.

Most people don’t stay indoors when the sun is out. So when you’re outside using a little Sunsense can protect you and your family. The Canadian Cancer Society encourages all Canadians to reduce their sun exposure between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm and when you are outside, seek or create your own shade; slip on clothing that covers your arms and legs; slap on a wide-brimmed hat  and slop on sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.  Sunlight is important for a person’s health, but you don’t need a tan to reap the benefits. A little sun goes a very long way.

Kayak for a Cure™  is proud to announce the first annual Kayak for a Cure™ San Francisco!  Stay tuned at www.kayakforacure.org.

Hope Floats in San Fran 2009!

Kayak for a Cure™ San Francisco

Kayakers looking to participate in the annual Kayak for a Cure™ signature event in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia can now register by clicking here.

Kayak for a Cure™ IV will take place in Vancouver on August 30th, 2009 benefitting the Canadian Cancer Society

Cyrus Irani | Kayak for a Cure Participant 2006, 2007, 2008

Kayak for a Cure™ III (2008)

Kayak for a Cure in the Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Kayak cancer fundraiser grows

Vancouver Sun

Published: Thursday, July 31, 2008

Kayakers who want to help find a cure for cancer are preparing for their third annual fundraising paddle Aug. 17 at English Bay.

This year, Kayak for a Cure™ has set its goal for $50,000 and expanded its scope to include events in Victoria, as well as Columbus, Ohio.

“This year’s event will be the largest in our short history. We have grown from our first year with 15 paddlers to a multi-city event,” founder Mark Starkey said in a news release.

Starkey founded Kayak for a Cure™ after learning 3 1/2 years ago that his grandmother had been diagnosed with a form of leukemia.

Learn more or join us at www.kayakforacure.org

I was 5’7” in 6th grade. I never remember weighing any less than 100 pounds, so I assume I was just born that way. My 3rd grade teacher not-so-affectionately nicknamed me “Big Mouth”. Point being, the words “Jessica Fletcher” and “small” aren’t often found in the same sentence. When you’re taller than the corn stalks and richer than the cows, it’s easy to stay “big” in the Midwest. But it’s when you’re at the mercy of the Great Pacific, in the shadows of mountains you can see from space, that your boat is literally rocked. This big girl from Ohio got small in a hurry. My body, a speck on the water. My problems, even smaller than that. The several hours I spent in that kayak were some of the most humbling of my entire life. I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t have a cancer story, but I’ve shared the pain of people who do. That was all the motivation I needed to Kayak for a Cure. And as small as I felt in those moments, I realized how important it is for all of us teeny tiny people to get our heads, hearts and paddles to work so we can get BIG! There is truly strength in numbers. We can laugh together, we can cry together, and together, we can find a cure.