Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Breast Cancer Action Kingston will be teeing off for a good cause at Joyceville’s Colonnade Golf and Country Club on Aug. 10 for the 18th annual Share the Care Golf Tournament.
Golfers and local businesses alike from across Lennox and Addington are invited to take part and golf in or sponsor the event.
“We are a local, volunteer led, non-profit charity,” explains Linda Yohn, president of Breast Cancer Action Kingston (BCAK). “We are directed by volunteers, we have one part-time paid employee. We’ve been in the area for almost 30 years. We are not as well known as we need to be but we are making huge headway in all our service area.”
Survivor-directed and volunteer-led, the charitable organization’s website describes their purpose as to educate, counsel and support women and men living with breast cancer, as well as their families and the Kingston area community. They do so through a variety of ways such as financial assistance, a fitness program for those who are going through treatment, a peer support group and their puffy pillow program, which provides unique pillows for patients who have just undergone breast cancer surgery. In the last year they’ve given out 366 pillows to cancer patients in the Kingston region. Their peer support group meets both in person and virtually.
In the community they are known for their Chestmates Dragon Boat Team-which is made up entirely of breast cancer survivors. They paddle out of Collins Bay Marina twice a week from May through September.
Last year they supported 34 breast cancer patients with funds to help cover living expenses, bras, prostheses, wigs and special needs. In 2023 it is estimated 28,600 Canadian women-about 78 per day-will be diagnoses with breast cancer. Of that number, 5,500 women-about 15 a day-will die from breast cancer. For men, 270 will be diagnosed and 55 will succumb to the disease.
“Our biggest goal is to make sure that women and men know that we’re here and they do not have to do the journey alone,” said Yohn.
Operating without any government funding, BCAK relies on fundraising events such as the Share the Care. The entry fee for 18 holes of golf, a shared cart, snacks and a chicken dinner is $150 per person or $95 for nine holes. For those interested in sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.bcakingston.ca/golf.