‘Is Team Cassie + Friends now a Canada-wide event?’ (and other great questions we hope will make you want to join our virtual team!)

‘Is Team Cassie + Friends now a Canada-wide event?’ (and other great questions we hope will make you want to join our virtual team!)

With Team Cassie + Friends now a 100% virtual event due to COVID-19, we’ve been getting some great questions from families, rheumatology teams and other friends wanting to learn more and get involved. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read this short FAQ to get a better sense of what’s at stake and why we’d love you to join our team!

Who is Team Cassie + Friends?

13 years ago, our team was just one dad. His daughter, Cassie, had just been diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at 2-years old. That year, he raised $18,000 and started a small fund at the Arthritis Society called ‘Cassie + Friends’. Today, C+F is its own charity – an organization 100% focussed on transforming the lives of kids and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. In 2019, our team broke a new record with over 350 runners raising an incredible $360,000 in support of a pain-free future for kids.

Is Team Cassie + Friends now a Canada-wide event?

Yes! Usually our teams run and walk together on the designated race days associated with the Scotiabank Charity Challenges in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, so it’s been mostly families and friends in those areas who joined our team. This year, however, in-person race events have been replaced by virtual runs that leave the date, distance and location of the run up to each individual runner. That means that, for 2020, anyone in Canada can join our team and help make a difference.

How does fundraising work? Where does the money raised go?

The reason we love the Scotiabank Charity Challenge platform is that 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to our mission. There are no credit fees and no event/marketing fees. We’ve also been very fortunate to be named the top fundraising team in Vancouver for 13 years running – a title that has earned us $55,250 in additional cash prizes!

100% of the funds raised by Team Cassie + Friends go to our mission of transforming kids and families lives through research, awareness, connection and support. More specifically, your participation will go towards our annual Family Days, Teen Groups, school resources, equipment cupboards/family funds, advocacy and research. If you want to raise money for a specific program or support at your centre, just let us know. Our goal is to create vibrant local and supported communities while also coming together to fight for every resource, awareness and answer our kids need.

I’m in! How do I sign up?

You’ve got a few options! Take a look below and if you have any questions at all, please ask! You can email kelly@casseiandfriends.ca. This year, we’re learning as we go too – so let’s work together to make a huge impact for kids!

Do you live in Vancouver, Toronto or Calgary?

You can register for Team Cassie + Friends in the Vancouver run here, the Calgary run here and the Toronto run here.
Registration includes an official run shirt from the race organizers as well as a finisher’s medal. All C+F runners who achieve our fundraising minimums will also be mailed an exclusive Team C+F technical running shirt (great for photo opps!).

Do you live else where in Canada?

There is a FREE “Victory Lap” option being offered by the Calgary Run. This means you won’t receive any of the city-specific run swag, but you CAN use the fundraising platform.
You can participate as an individual or create a team. We can even create a team for your specific centre, ie. IWK or SickKids or Montreal Children’s, if people want to fundraise together.

Are you ready to join Team Cassie + Friends?! Become a part of the team that’s racing towards a pain-free future for kids and register for a race today!

OR, not interested in running? Make a donation to the team here.