Donations are the driving force that allows Lymphoma Canada (LC) to move forward in providing support for the lymphoma community, educating the public, and funding breakthrough research projects in Canada.
Donations are the driving force that allows Lymphoma Canada (LC) to move forward in providing support for the lymphoma community, educating the public, and funding breakthrough research projects in Canada.
On June 11th, 2012, a tribute dinner was held in honour of Romeo De Gasperis, a local Toronto businessman who was diagnosed with lymphoma more than 10 years ago, and has twice fought lymphoma into remission. De Gasperis has given hope to people with lymphoma by providing a transformational gift to LC. This gift will help LC continue to meet its goals at the national level.
The dinner was attended by more than 1,200 friends, family and business associates of the De Gasperis family, and raised $2.25 million for LC’s work – exceeding the original $1.5 million fundraising goal. “An event this large gives us so much more opportunity. It is significantly more than any other amount we’ve raised before,” said Paul Weingarten, chair of Lymphoma Canada’s board of directors. $450,000 of the money raised at the event was given to medical research to find a cure for lymphatic cancer.
De Gasperis passion for the cause and research prompted LC to donate $300,000 of the proceeds to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences’ innovative lymphoma research foundation, the Odette Cancer Centre and $150,000 to research at the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in Toronto. “Your support [ . . . ] has been invaluable in contributing to the next generation of young haematologists and oncologists who feel as passionately about lymphoma as we do, who are excited to start their careers in research into the biology and treatment, and ultimately a cure for lymphoma,” said Dr. Michael Crump, lymphoma site leader at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Lymphoma Canada’s fundraising has not stopped there. Through the Small Health Organization Partnership Program the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) is also contributing by matching every dollar donated by LC to funding lymphoma research.
Though lymphoma is on the rise in Canada, new and better treatment options are being developed, and thanks to your donations, LC can continue to achieve its goals. With the 100% matching fund program through the CIHR, LC continues to fund research and aims to raise $27,500 by May 2013.
Make a donation to lymphoma research today and see it double.
