About Us
Faced with the news that their child has cancer, families from across western Ontario have turned to Childcan for direct support since 1974. Financial assistance, emotional support, social programs, research funding – it’s all supported solely by donors who get involved because they know that childhood cancer is an experience that nobody thinks they will face, let alone one that families can prepare for. They know that Childcan makes a very real difference to those families:
Helping cover unexpected expenses;
Providing a truly listening ear;
Offering activities and information designed specifically for each family’s new reality;
Funding research closer to home; and
Leading advocacy and awareness building so that long lasting change can be achieved.
Childcan mirrors the catchment area of Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, supporting families from Windsor-Essex to Kitchener-Waterloo, from the shores of Lake Erie north to Grey-Bruce and beyond.
Our Mission
To raise awareness and funds to provide personalized, responsive, and compassionate programs and services to families facing the childhood cancer journey from diagnosis, through treatment, post-treatment care, or bereavement.
Our Vision
To make childhood cancer a health priority, fund innovative research, and expand family supports until childhood cancer is eliminated.
Our Core Values
Family-Centred - Our families are at the heart of everything we do.
Empathy - We listen to understand with caring and compassion.
Hope - Hope means different things to different people; we strive to ease the burden and bring light to our kids and families.
Inclusive Support - We respect the unique strengths, vulnerabilities, and values of our kids and families by delivering personalized and compassionate support.
Accountability - We are dedicated to fulfilling our legal, moral, and ethical obligations with integrity and we report back to our stakeholders in a timely manner.
Our Beginnings
Childcan was born in 1974 during a late-night conversation between a bereaved parent, David Cohen, and Dr. L.L. Barrie DeVeber, Immunologist/Oncologist.
Legend has it that Dr. DeVeber was up late working on a grant to find support for the challenges he saw families facing that no one was meeting: financial, emotional and social support, as well as funding research.
David Cohen and Dr. DeVeber’s approach – identifying the stressors and frustrations that families were experiencing and working to address them is still the foundation for our work 50 years later.