! COVID-19's context !

You don’t need to make a huge donation for it to have an impact on the lives of many people.

In fact, you could be exactly the person we’re looking for!

Do you realize how much we can achieve together?

We could count the number of beds, pillows, and overnight stays made available in our five accommodation centres where people can receive treatment far from home. But the greatest value by far is the gift of peace of mind and precious energy saved.

It could also be counted in the thousands of answers to questions dispensed over the phone by our documentalists and nurses experienced in oncology or our nutritionists and psychologists. Giving a clearer idea of the situation to help calm anxieties, suggesting ways to feel better or to find the right words when they fail us. Because understanding what is happening to us and what we can expect can often help us face our fear of the unknown.

And above all, it can be counted in terms of those sympathetic ears, those kindly gestures, those outstretched arms, those shared smiles and tears. That is the kind of attention we witness every day in our service centres and lodges across the province, where cancer patients and their caregivers rub shoulders with our specialized workers and volunteers, and where everyone can find an open ear and a sense of well-being and unconditional welcome.

The reason I am writing to you today is that 55,600 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. That is almost as many as the population of Saint-Hyacinthe. Imagine that. And on the occasion of Cancer Awareness Month, I have a proposal for you. Here at the Foundation, we have set ourselves the goal of recruiting 100 new monthly donors before the end of April. New “reinforcements”, as we affectionately call them. And I think you have what it takes to be one of them.

Reinforcements don't necessarily have any more resources than you or I. It's their loyalty, their commitment, month after month, that makes them special. And it's strength in numbers that makes the Backup Force movement so powerful and inspiring. When donations, however modest, are recurring and pooled, we are able to better plan our services, because we know we can count on them. Like that friend who always shows up as backup whenever we’re in difficulty, whenever we fall...

I hope that we will soon be able to count you as a part of this movement. Whether, like Gilles, Renée and Michel, you choose a monthly donation, or whether you make a special donation today. Because only together will we be able to support Quebecers who are facing cancer and everything that involves, in terms of doubt, fear, and challenges.
  These people will need backup. Thank you for being one of them.






Marco Décelles, CPA, CMA
Director General
 

In April, be like Gilles... Renée, Michel, and over 2,800 others.
CHOOSE A MONTHLY DONATION AND JOIN THE BACKUP FORCE!

“We all know someone who's been affected by cancer. And we'd like to help those who will have to deal with the disease. To support them while they're going through it, in our own way. That's why I said yes without hesitation.” says Gilles St-Michel, of Val-d'Or, a Backup Force member since 2012.

“I’ll never let the Foundation down, because it didn't let me down me when I needed it. And the Backup Force is Quebec-style mutual aid at its best. The donations stay in Quebec. They may be small sometimes, but they add up to a lot.” says Renée Hétu, of Montreal, a Backup Force member since 2018.

“The monthly donation was a natural fit for me. It makes things easier for everyone, and it helps the people at the Foundation to increase the support they offer. And since they have a presence all over the province, my donations do quite a bit of travelling. They may not be headed to sunny destinations, but they’re travelling all the same ;) ” says Michel Lagacé, of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, a Backup Force member since 2015.