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fundraising

Whoa, This Just Got Real – Can You Help?

I have some incredible news to share about The Tory Day Fund!

Sunnybrook has confirmed that they will be launching a “buddy” program for cancer patients this year! And our discussions with them about The Tory Day Fund have been the catalyst to make it happen.

Remember when we launched the fund just six weeks ago with a focus on improving the comfort of cancer patients, and told you about this example from Tory’s experience to highlight how a “buddy” program could have a big impact?

The first treatment day for most chemotherapy patients is dizzying. Despite the efforts of treatment centres like the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook to make the experience run smoothly, there are countless tips and tricks that are only learned with experience. A “buddy” program that matches cancer patients entering treatment with a former patient or caregiver would provide more comfort on this critical day.

Throw me to the wolvesWith almost 25,000 chemotherapy treatments administered per year (stop and let that number sink in for a minute), the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook recognizes the need to make patients’ first experience less stressful – more comforting even. The early plans for the program include:

  • 2-4 volunteers welcoming patients and their families to the centre
  • Measures to improve patient comfort during and after their visit — for example, better quality wigs

Here’s the thing, though: Sunnybrook cannot launch this program unless we meet our fundraising goal of $50,000. I need your help to make it happen. If you were ever planning to contribute, now is the time — here’s how:

Sunnybrook logoSome of you might still be hesitant to donate … Maybe you don’t live in the Toronto area and want to donate closer to home. Maybe you didn’t know Tory well and you want your donation to be more personal. Maybe you’re just leery of charities in general. I get it.

Donations to charities are decreasing and that’s making life very difficult for even large non-profits like the Canadian Cancer Society. Personally I think some of that is self-inflicted: donors are tired of not seeing the direct impact of their donation, and they’re tired of seeing dollars wasted on administration and high-cost mailings. Here’s why The Tory Day Fund is different:

  • Your donation will directly fund the “buddy” program at Sunnybrook – you will know your dollars made a difference
  • We’ll ensure the funds are used to improve patient comfort by relying on volunteers as much as possible, and minimizing overhead costs

IMG_20151013_215042 (2)If I still haven’t convinced you to donate, let me give it another shot – and I’ll admit this one is pretty personal. Here’s why I’m desperate for this program to launch, and it’s not just because it’s sorely needed.

It’s our chance to provide a powerful legacy for Tory’s family, her friends, and her colleagues… and for anyone who’s lost a loved one to cancer. This our chance to turn an absolute tragedy into something beautiful, offering a program that will make the lives of thousands of cancer patients more comfortable – even just for a day:

  • Donate for Tory, who despite living life to the fullest was robbed of almost half hers.
  • Donate for Tory’s mom Linda, who fought and lost the same battle more than 20 years ago.
  • Donate for Hal and Matt and Peter and their families, who lost their ringleader.
  • Donate for Tory’s girlfriends, a legendary group of women who lost their top troublemaker.
  • Donate for Kate, who lost the best mom she could ever dream of having.
  • Donate for your loved one, so their legacy lives on.

We have just 86 days left in The Tory Day Fund campaign and need exactly $33,141 to make the buddy program at Sunnybrook a reality. Thank you for your support!

Have a great day.

J.

P.S. Please help us get the word out by sharing, liking … anything to amplify our message. Thanks!

Let the kids show you how

If I’m being honest, fundraising is very near the bottom of my ‘favourite things’ list – right beside folding laundry and flossing my teeth. And I’m not the only one. Google ‘fundraising fears’ and you’ll find nearly a million results.

Well, I should say it was near the bottom of my list. Then a couple of kids showed me how easy fundraising can be.

Last month my sister-in-law Angela asked when she could bring the girls by because they had something for me. ‘The girls’ are Tessa and Molly, 8 and 6 years old, and two of the greatest kids you’ll meet. ‘Anytime,’ I said – ‘but are they going to make me cry?’ Reasonable question anytime, but especially in May because of Mother’s Day and Tory’s birthday. Angela paused, and then I knew the answer.

I tried psyching myself up before they came over, and my steely nerves lasted about 3.5 minutes, when the girls sat on either side of me and gave me a gift bag. Here’s what I found inside:

Tessa and Molly letter

I swore after reading it (sorry, Tessa and Molly!). I was amazed by the thoughtfulness of these girls — at a time when they should be excited about receiving presents, they gave so generously to a cause they believed in (no doubt helped along by Angela and Pete, who organize an annual fundraiser for the CIBC Run for the Cure).

That was the first donation to The Tory Day Fund, and it’s been a catalyst ever since for my own fundraising.

My biggest motivation of course has been Tory’s wishes. She wanted desperately for us to raise funds once she got healthy so other chemo patients at Sunnybrook could rest in a comfortable bed while receiving treatment. And I saw daily how she and patients like her are deprived of the comforts we used to take for granted.

In just the first week since the launch of The Tory Day Fund, we’ve raised $13,574 (plus $435 from the girls).

Crazy motivating, right? Good. So here’s how you can help fulfill Tory’s wish:

  • You can make a donation of any amount at any time by donating now. You’ll be taken to our charitable-giving platform, Chimp: Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada) and all donations will go to The Tory Day Fund and receive a tax receipt.
  • You can create a fundraising campaign of your own with Chimp: Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada) and all funds raised by your campaign will go to The Tory Day Fund and receive a tax receipt.
  • You can buy a ticket to The Tory Day Fund Night of Nonsense – all profit from the event will go to The Tory Day Fund.
  • You can ask your employer if they have programs that match your donation or that donate directly to charity (I did both of these week at Hewlett Packard).

Thanks to all of you who have donated and bought tickets so far. What a start! We have a long way to go before we meet and exceed our fundraising goal. If you need help getting started – just remember Tessa and Molly … and of course Tory.

Day One for Improving the Comfort of Cancer Patients

Folks, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of The Tory Day Fund, a charity to improve the comfort of cancer patients.

Actually, thrilled is a tough word to use. This fund exists only because of the heartbreaking loss of an extraordinary mother, friend, sister, daughter, aunt and my wife, Tory Butler. It’s been just three months since we lost her to breast cancer and typing these words still feels surreal.

Tory’s death could’ve gutted a close circle of family and friends, just as cancer does each day to countless others. I’ve talked to people whose lives have been impacted by similar loss, and they describe the days, months and sometimes years after as horrible. And no doubt, we’ve had horrible days.

But it hasn’t gutted us. We’ve celebrated Tory’s life, we’ve laughed at the ridiculous stories of her 50 years, and we’ve toasted the beautiful person we knew.

And in many ways it’s actually made us stronger. Tory’s family and friends have rallied to support our daughter Kate, her greatest legacy. And they’ve rallied to ensure her other legacy – the comfort Tory brought to those around her – endures.

The goal of The Tory Day Fund is to bring comfort – any comfort, really – to those undergoing cancer treatment. Despite the efforts of a world-class treatment facility like the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital, Tory experienced firsthand just how rare comfort is when undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

What’s comfort in cancer care?

  • Comfort is having a bed available for you on the days you’re feeling weak and unable to sit in the usual chemo chair.
  • Comfort is having a buddy to teach you the tips and tricks of navigating a complex treatment centre.
  • Comfort is having a volunteer named Greg offer you mushroom soup every chemotherapy day.
  • Comfort is having a wig donated to you so you don’t lose your self when you lose your hair.
  • Comfort is having a week at a cottage donated so you can recharge with family and friends during a time you feel empty.

Comfort is a bunch of seemingly little things, but things that add up to something much bigger.

So today is day one for The Tory Day Fund, and we won’t stop until we’ve exceeded our fundraising goal of $50,000 to improve the comfort of cancer patients.

It’s a big, audacious goal for a bunch of friends and family of a girl from The ‘Shwa. But we are thrilled to make it happen.

Yeah, maybe thrilled isn’t such a tough word to use after all.

Who’s in?