Southeast Cancer Support Services launches five-year campaign

Southeast Cancer Support Services is launching a five-year campaign with the hope of raising $400,000 in donations.

“We were challenged by one of our founding partner foundations. They challenged us to not just raise money right now for us to get started, but to do a five-year plan so we could be sustainable and we took that challenge…,” said executive director Cindi Rempel Patrick. “People can make a one-time donation or they can pledge for a five-year plan so it’s totally up to them.”

The organization was able to secure seven founding partners that donated $25,000 or more each to help SCSS get set up in their new office at 215-98 Brandt Street in Steinbach.

“We are a charity so we’re not government funded and not connected to the hospital or Cancer Care. We’re a total private entity so we raise all our funds to provide these services and our main program that we’re starting is the transportation program, which also covers parking fees and sometimes that (might be a) need (for) accommodation. So that’s what our pledge campaign is being directed towards right now,” said Rempel Patrick.

One out of eight people are diagnosed with cancer, according to Rempel Patrick. She said SCSS gets new clients every day from all over the Southeast region. She said the organization covers 88 communities, including reserves and the Hutterite communities.

SCSS did a feasibility study when they began operations and found that some people couldn’t get to Steinbach or Winnipeg for their treatments.

“(Raising these funds is) crucial because we know that the only form of hope for cancer is treatment. And if they can’t get to treatment the percentage of survival goes down very low,” said Rempel Patrick.

To date, the organization has about a dozen clients that they help with transportation and support.

SCSS began eight years ago after a group of medical professionals and volunteers got together to provide services, such as transportation, to cancer patients in the Southeast. About seven years ago, the Canadian Cancer Society stopped its funding for transportation and then COVID hit and the group disbanded. In the last eight months, the group had been revived as the SCSS.

“We’ve been fundraising since February. We just kind of made a new board and started the project,” said Rempel Patrick.

To kick-off their campaign, SCSS is holding their first fundraising event at Smitty’s on Nov. 6 in partnership with Warehouse Cycle Studio and Skin Clinics. Twenty participants will join a spin class at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m. After the class, they are treated to a seven-minute mini-facial and a bellini. Donations are made at the door.

“It’s a nice evening out for people who want to support the cause and do their spin and get some perks. We’ll also have a lot of prizes, we’ll have a big raffle table…at 5:30 p.m. we have an honourary survivor ride, anyone who has survived cancer or if you want to ride in honour of someone you’ve lost to cancer,” said Rempel Patrick.

To book a spot in the spin class contact warehousecyclestudio@gmail.com.

Also new to SCSS is a support group. Cancer Connect, a pilot program, will offer a place for cancer patients to come and talk about their experiences. It’ll run every Tuesday from Nov. 5 to 26 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the SCSS office. To join, contact the office at info@secancersupport.ca or call 204-326-8571.

In December, SCSS will hold a support group called Kids Can Cope for children whose parents are going through cancer treatments.

“There will be many support groups (and) wellness programs,” said Rempel Patrick. “We’ll start a head covering and wig program and doing lymphedema treatments and doing a skin cancer testing clinic. All of these things will come in the future but right now these are our main focus.”