2018 marked Cassie and Friends’ 11th year participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and each and every year we end the race in the same way – saying, wow, this was the best year ever. We can never top this!  

Every year, thanks to friends like you, we are wrong!

This June, with your help, we topped our 2017 fundraising total of $160,000 and are now the top fundraising team in BC ever with over $250,000 raised! Of course, an incredible gift from philanthropist and grandmother, Yvette Porte, gave us an important boost, inspiring so many to people to join our mission, some even making second gifts!

We also had an amazing 170+ people running and walking with our team.  That includes: kids with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, their parents, their relatives, doctors and other healthcare professionals from BC Children’s Hospital, corporate teams and more.

These are all the “friends,” like you, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today: set to expand Cassie and Friends’ programs, support and research across Canada, filling huge gaps in care and giving kids and families the support they desperately need.

In addition to all the runners, supporters and money raised, we were also fortunate to have a lot of media attention leading up to the run. We hope you caught our stories in the Vancouver Sun, North Shore News, Burnaby Now and Global News. Why is all this exposure important? Because we’re bringing more awareness to JA – and that means, less kids and families will have to suffer in pain and feat without a proper diagnosis – a situation that is still all too common.

Looking ahead, we are so excited to share just a few highlights of what the support of the Cassie and Friends community will make possible this year:

• Our 10th annual Family Day conference will take place on Saturday, October 13th in Burnaby, BC with over 400 attendees expected
• Cassie & Friends will be at the Scotiabank Charity Challenge run in Toronto for our first time on Sunday, Oct 21st as we launch new programs at SickKids
• 2018/19 will also see a major expansion of Cassie and Friends support in BC and Alberta with a tour of our educational school program, new Family Day events and the growth of our Parent-to-Parent Support Network
• Our Youth Leader Network is growing fast with new events, resources, partners and research already well underway.
• The new Cassie and Friends International Post-Doctoral Fellow will be starting at BC Children’s hospital in the Dr. Brown lab
• And all the while, we’ll keep taking care of kids and families through research, equipment, advocacy, educational events and support programs.

None of this would be possible without you – our incredible friends! Yes, Cassie and Friends has grown beyond our wildest imaginations – almost as if overnight – but we never forget the 11 years of time, passion, commitment, energy, support and friends like you who brought us here.

Our mission at Cassie and Friends is to transform the lives of children and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis. And on Sunday, June 24th, and in all the time leading to today, we are all doing just that.

From all the kids, thank you!