On Thursday, April 19th, the members of the Cassie and Friends Society Board, youth leaders and parent volunteers came together for our Annual General Meeting.

We are excited to share the report provided by Cassie and Friends’ Co-Founder and Board Chair, David Porte, outlining the amazing things we’ve been able to achieve this past year for kids and families in the Juvenile Arthritis and rheumatic disease community.

The main message is simple: You Matter to Kids!

Our donors, volunteers, friends, families, supporters and leaders are truly transforming lives! We hope you will join us in 2018 to keep raising awareness about all forms of Juvenile Arthritis and ensuring kids and families have the support, resources and hope they need!

YOU MATTER TO KIDS
Transforming lives together in the Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic disease community

Board Chair’s Report
Annual General Meeting, April 2017

Over the past year I have lost count of the number of times people have told me about the passion they feel at Cassie and Friends (C+F), and every time it brings me great pride. From the kids, teens and young adults at the heart of all we do, to the parents, family members, medical professionals, donors, staff and volunteers who care for them, we have all worked hard to build this community of support, strength and positivity together.

That’s why I am so excited to share with you the achievements of our Society over the past year and to lay out our vision for a new phase for C+F. Because, while we should be very proud of our reputation and support for kids and families, we cannot stand still. Despite many recent
advancements in the pediatric rheumatic (PR) disease community, including unprecedented research funding, the reality is that our kids and families remain under-served and the healthcare they rely on is under-resourced. Our board spent much of 2017 discussing those realities and laying out a plan for how we might support even more patients, families and PR centres across Canada.

And, no surprise (another defining C+F trait) – we are really excited about what’s next! As the only organization in Canada 100% focussed on meeting the unique needs of the Juvenile Arthritis and rheumatic disease community, we see ongoing opportunity to help transform the lives of every affected child and their family – no matter where they live. As a result, we’ve committed funding and resources in 2018 to bring C+F’s core support programs to up to five new PR centres and enhance our online resources to help kids and families navigate the challenges of rheumatic disease at school.

The connections we’ve already made in Vancouver, Victoria, Penticton, Calgary, Edmonton and
Toronto are growing stronger and other centres in Canada are reaching out to us. It is my sincere hope that each and every person who’s been a part of C+F – along with many new friends – will join us in these next, bold steps to expand our presence across Canada. I have no doubt our passion for and dedication to the 24,000 children living with arthritis and their families will result in transformational change in the PR community in 2018.

2017 Major Milestones:

Support

  • Supported hundreds of kids and families with the information, connections and resources
    needed to build strong families and conquer the fear of their disease
  • Formed our inaugural Youth Leader Network committee to provide a platform for youth living with rheumatic diseases to connect and be empowered
  • Achieved a new, 10-year fundraising milestone for our annual team in the Vancouver
    Scotiabank Charity Challenge with over $160,000 raised – and launched run teams in two new
    cities: Calgary and Toronto

Advocacy

  • Successfully advocated on behalf of children affected by Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in BC resulting in the very first case of a child receiving canakinumab coverage under BC Pharmacare and province-wide awareness of the devastation of arthritis in children
  • Through the advocacy brought awareness about Cassie & Friends to the BC provincial government.

Education

  • Welcomed over 370 kids, family members, medical professionals and volunteers to our
    annual BC Family Day conference – a new record for attendance
  • Toured over 35 BC elementary schools with our in-school puppet show to spread awareness of Juvenile Arthritis and support affected kids in school, including a tour to Vancouver Island.

Research

Staffing

  • Addition of a part-time coordinator, programs and events

Of course, none of these successes listed above would be possible without our incredible Board,
volunteers, donors, staff and friends. I wish to thank all my Board colleagues, committee chairs and special initiative leaders for the time, effort and passion they have contributed to our growth and milestones this year. Specifically, these persons below have devoted significant time to ensuring the success of their respective projects/areas:

  • Family Day Committee: ​Debbie Setton, Ray Glicksohn, Susan Le and Madison Wallinger
  • Governance Committee: ​Rosanne Kyle and Bram Rogachevsky
  • Fundraising Committee​ – Lisa Pullan and Stephen Shapiro
  • Youth Leader Network Chair & Board Liaison​ – Alison Legge (Chair) and Andrea McGowan
  • School Resource Committee leads – ​Kelsey Chomistek, Alberta Children’s Hospital (Chair);
    Heather Best, OT, BC Children’s Hospital; Colleen Castonguay, Educator and Parent
  • Advocacy Committee – ​Cheryl Koehn and Kelly Lendvoy, Arthritis Consumer Experts:
    Charlene Prime, Parent.

I look forward to welcoming to the Board in the coming year Jane Green (AJC Media) who will
contribute valuable expertise in the area of Public Relations with the support of her colleague, Andrea Christian (AJC Media).

Above all, I wish to note the Board’s thanks to our fantastic staff, volunteers and donors who have helped in so many ways to ensure our momentum and continued success.

And a special mention to our Executive Director, Jennifer Wilson, who works tirelessly, every day, helping to increase the reach of Cassie & Friends and professionally driving the organization forward. We would not be moving the way we are without her.

I look forward positively and with great ambition to another year of ‘transforming lives’ in the Juvenile Arthritis and rheumatic disease community.

David Porte
Board Chair