t canadienne du cancer abbreviation ccs scc type non profit organizations based in canada legal status active purpose cancer prevention information support advocacy and research headquarters toronto ontario canada region served canada official language english french president and chief executive officer pamela fralick icd.d staff 1 200 volunteers 140 000 website http www.cancer.ca the canadian cancer society french soci t canadienne du cancer is a national community based charitable organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of those living with the disease . the canadian cancer society is canada s largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in canada . contents 1 history 2 mission 3 organization 4 fundraising 4.1 daffodils 4.2 relay for life 4.3 cops for cancer 4.4 thing a ma boob 5 activities 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit the idea to form the canadian cancer society originally came from the saskatchewan medical association in 1929 when they formed canada s first cancer committee . in 1937 the national study committee recommended the formation of new organization which was later called canadian cancer society for the control of cancer . the society was officially formed a decade later in 1938 to educate canadians about the early warning signs of cancer . at that time many people did not seek medical help until their cancer had advanced past a treatable stage . in 1947 the society began funding cancer research through the creation of the national cancer institute of canada an agreement between the canadian cancer society and the federal department of health and welfare . the society continues to fund cancer research today the canadian cancer society research institute . mission edit the canadian cancer society is a national community based organization of volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer . the canadian cancer society is canada s largest national cancer charity and the country s largest national charitable funder of cancer research . relying on donor and volunteer support the canadian cancer society fulfills its mission by 1 doing everything possible to prevent cancer funding research to outsmart cancer empowering informing and supporting canadians living with cancer advocating for public policies to improve the health of canadians rallying canadians to get involved in the fight against cancers organization edit the canadian cancer society consists of national offices in toronto and ottawa 10 provincial and territorial divisions approximately 140 000 volunteers including canvassers approximately 1 200 full time staff each provincial and territorial division of the canadian cancer society has a board of directors chaired by a volunteer divisional president . public accountability for the organization rests at the national level . the national board of directors has 18 volunteer representatives from across canada . the president and ceo of the canadian cancer society is pamela fralick icd.d . 1 fundraising edit daffodils edit 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 fundraising tea in toronto ; the volunteers used daffodils to decorate the tables as they thought it would create hope that cancer could be beaten . 2 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 1 200 on sales of daffodils . as the first flower of spring the daffodil became a symbol of hope in the fight against cancer and daffodil days fundraising events spread throughout the rest of canada and amongst cancer organizations around the world including the american cancer society the irish cancer society and the cancer council australia . today the society is the world s largest purchaser of daffodils . in 2000 the canadian cancer society adopted the daffodil as part of its logo replacing the sword and snakes logo which symbolized the rod of asclepius the dominant symbol for professional healthcare associations in north america . many cancer organizations have also incorporated the daffodil in their logos including the cancer council australia irish cancer society and marie curie cancer care although the american cancer society continues to use a rod of asclepius styled logo . relay for life edit relay for life is the canadian cancer society s signature fundraising event . relay for life is a non competitive outdoor overnight relay held in hundreds of communities across canada every year . the 12 hour relay brings teams of 10 people together to take turns walking running or wheeling around a track from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. main events include a survivors victory lap a luminary ceremony to remember loved ones lost to cancer as well as anything from karaoke to bingo to help keep people energized throughout the night . in 2009 the event raised more than 52 million for the society at 474 events across canada . 3 cops for cancer edit the first cops for cancer program started in 1994 when sergeant gary goulet an edmonton police officer with a shaved head posed for a picture with a young cancer patient . the officer wanted to support the boy who was being ridiculed at school because of his hair loss . since then law enforcement and emergency services officers from across canada have held cops for cancer fundraising events for the canadian cancer society . during these events each year hundreds of police officials and members of the public shave their heads to raise money to support children with cancer and their families . other fundraising activities from this group include golf tournaments and elite sporting events . since it began the program has raised over 32.8 million . thing a ma boob edit introduced in 2005 the thing a ma boob is an educational keyring made of four different sized beads each indicating the various sized lumps that can be detected through regular breast self exams physical exams by a healthcare professional 1st mammogram to regular mammograms . money raised from the sale of the thing a ma boob will go towards funding breast cancer research providing support services for victims and their families as well as prevention and advocacy initiatives . 4 activities edit the jacques cantin lodge montreal the canadian cancer society offers a variety of information and support services to canadians including a bilingual toll free cancer information service 1 888 939 3333 cancerconnection a peer support program that connects people with similar cancer experiences accommodation and transportation services in some areas the canadian cancer society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research . cancer research is funded through the canadian cancer society research institute . using a peer review process research grants and training opportunities are funded for all types of cancer and include basic laboratory research clinical trials as well as behavioral psychosocial and population based cancer research . notable research that the canadian cancer society has funded includes the development of the cobalt 60 unit in the 1950s to treat cancer tumors with cobalt therapy a treatment still widely used today the discovery of vinblastine as successful chemotherapy for hodgkin lymphoma in the 1950s also a treatment for cancer still used today the 1960s discovery of stem cells and their use in bone marrow transplants as a cancer treatment the canadian cancer society also advocates on behalf of canadians by encouraging governments to pass public policies that will help prevent cancer and help people living with cancer . issues the society advocates for include tobacco control ornamental use of pesticides health systems reform occupational carcinogen exposure cancer screening and gene patenting . see also edit list of canadian organizations with royal patronage references edit a b http www.cancer.ca http www.cancer.ca canada wide how % 20you % 20can % 20help cw fundraising % 20activities cw daffodil % 20days . aspx sc lang en sc lang en http www.cancer.ca canada wide how % 20you % 20can % 20help cw relay % 20for % 20life . aspx sc lang en http www.thingamaboob.ca external links edit canadian cancer society daffodil days relay for life cops for cancer thing a ma boob ride2survive retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title canadian cancer society & oldid 712929246 categories charities based in canadacancer organizations based in canadahealth in canadaorganizations based in canada with royal patronagecompanies established in 1938companies based in toronto navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages edit links this page was last modified on 31 march 2016 at 22 11 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is 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