Over $15k raised for Kids Curing Cancer campaign

Family friend Pat Durance presents Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn Baillargeon as well as the rest of their family with a plaque during last Saturday’s fundraising dinner.

Kids Curing Cancer’s final year included another big crowd at its pasta and music night on the weekend.

A packed house of 250 people attended KCC’s fundraiser Saturday night at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in Amherstburg, with the Baillargeon family, their friends and supporters and the general public in full support of the cause. Proceeds from this year’s KCC campaign will be split between the new oncology department at Erie Shores Health Care in Leamington and the patient assistance program at Windsor Regional Hospital.

It is the 13th year for Kids Curing Cancer. Its first year was 2014 and it was founded in memory of Dan Gerard, the grandfather of Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn Baillargeon, who are the “kids” of Kids Curing Cancer.

The campaign not only includes the dinner, but school fundraisers, community organizations, dance studios and sports organizations raising money, and more. Lauren Baillargeon, who helped start KCC when she was nine-years-old, said schools have formed leadership teams simply due to their involvement with KCC. 

Baillargeon added the campaign is also made up of such simple fundraisers as children hosting lemonade stands and the goal is to also pass the torch to people like that to keep the fundraising going in the future.

Baillargeon said their lives are getting busier and that they are being “pulled in many different directions,” so that is why they are stopping. She pointed out the original goal was never to go 13 years to begin with, as the original plan was to raise $50 to thank nurses and doctors that helped her grandfather. The first year raised over $3,800 so they followed it up with a second year and then a third, with the community support ongoing.

The “kids” of KCC are becoming young adults, she added, but pointed out they learned life lessons through their involvement.

“We’re on track for our biggest year yet,” said Baillargeon, adding the 13-year total will surpass $250,000 this year.

The 250 tickets went quickly, Baillargeon stated, and there was even a wait list to get in. Proceeds from Saturday night’s dinner were announced Sunday night and it alone raised $15,341. 

The overall total from the campaign will be revealed when cheque presentations are done in March, near Gerard’s birthday.

Lauren, Kierstyn and Ty said efforts have expanded to the community as a whole, noting they all have become part of the “KCC family.” 

Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery donated the venue, with Mary Lippert of Sweet Moments Cookie Co. creating an entire dessert room for the event. Hundreds of door prizes and auction prizes were contributed as part of the community’s support. 3D Catering and its staff also donated their services to the event.

Music is always a main part of the fundraiser and that was no different this year.

“For the past 13 years, KCC has been a catalyst for community support,” she said.

Ty and Kierstyn also surprised their older sister with an emotional tribute, noting they were able to join in on a fundraising mission that Lauren had started. Another tribute came from Pat Durance, a family friend affectionately known as “Aunt Pat.” Durance presented a plaque to Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn for their efforts over the last 13 years. 

“These kids are like my other family,” she said.

Durance pointed out she has been a family friend for many years, and knew Gerard much of that time, noting he was “taken way too soon.” She recalled Lauren wanted to sell her toys to help out when KCC first started and Kierstyn and Ty did their part as well, including getting hair cuts for the cause. She paid tribute to Dan Gerard, calling him a polite, kind and caring man who loved music.

Penny Bellhouse, CEO of the Erie Shores Health Foundation, praised the fundraising ability of the Baillargeon family and their network of friends. She said their work in raising money rivals those who do it professionally and that as far as community fundraisers go, this was one of the largest she has seen that didn’t have corporate backing. 

Bellhouse said they want to expand their oncology department and their pharmacy department in Leamington, though noted previous work by KCC has seen more treatments being able to be provided closer to home. She estimated future efforts will cost about $10 million over the next five to ten years.

Anita Riccio-Spagnuolo, fundraising specialist at the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, thanked the Baillargeon family and their team of supporters.

“This is exactly what community is,” said Riccio-Spagnuolo. “You should be very proud of yourselves.”

Money raised for the Windsor Cancer Centre helps provide treatment and equipment to assist cancer patients, with the patient assistance fund aiding those going through financial difficulty. Riccio-Spagnuolo added that KCC has definitely left a legacy in the community.

One of those in attendance was Claudia Beetham, a two-time cancer survivor. She originally overcame a bout with breast cancer that was diagnosed in 2019. Less than two years later, she was diagnosed with a form of leukemia which, in part, hospitalized her for seven weeks at Princess Margaret Hospital and led to cancer treatments all over again as well as a stem cell transplant. Beetham said she has since gotten to know the German man she received her stem cell donation from.

Beetham added she would have to stay away from public events as well as family gatherings such as weddings as she couldn’t be exposed to any sort of virus.

“I like being here,” she said. “I’m not wearing a mask anymore.” 

Beetham added she enjoys the fact kids led the fundraiser to begin with and other kids come out to the fundraiser. She said they learn about what cancer is and how to fight against such diseases. She added she is a friend of the Baillargeon family and wanted to help out.

Over $15k raised for Kids Curing Cancer campaign

By Ron Giofu