Welcome to Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer’s website.  In this website you will be able to find information on resources for families and parents of children with cancer. 

Message from our OPACC President/Chair Dave Munro
Spring 2010, wow where did the time go?

At OPACC we’ve been busy and we are very excited to have something started at the busiest pediatric oncology centre in Ontario.  Susan Kuczynski has been setting up a Meet and Greet for the in-patient families and those who visit the clinic.  We are working with them to have ongoing support groups at the hospital as well.

We recently received the first of a $50,000 grant from a like minded US based organization, Lainies Angels.  The founder of that America based charitable organization, Stathi Afendoulis, is a valued member of OPACCs Board of Directors.  He understands just how important it is for Parent Advocacy not only at Sick Kids but all pediatric oncology treatment centres.  Childhood cancer knows no borders and Sick Kids is a world renowned intitution.

Although OPACC was not successful with our first Ontario Trillium Grant submission we were encouraged by them to keep submitting proposals.  To that end we submitted our second grant application for the March 1st deadline.  Hopefully we will hear something positive in the very near future.  As OPACC is still in it’s infancy as a charitable organization we had to submit the application through another organization, just as we did with the first application.  We gratefully thank the Childhood Cancer Foundation ~ Candlelighters Canada for taking the lead in our application.  If it weren’t for the Childhood Cancer Foundation, OPACC would not be here today as they brought together parents from across the province way back in the early 1990’s to help us support each other and network.

One of OPACC’s long term goals is to establish community based support groups across the province.  I have been very lucky to have been involved in a very dynamic group in the Barrie/Simcoe region.  Candlelighters Simcoe, Parents of Children and Teens with Cancer.  This groups works so well and can be as a model for other groups.  As such Candlelighters Simcoe’s founder and OPACC secretary, Barb Johnson has been helping a couple of others start their groups.

OPACC continues to seek active members to not only add to our discussions but to hopefully become valued Board members.  We are currently seeking Board members who have Accounting/Financial and Media backgrounds.  If you are interested or know someone who might be, please let us know.

Thanks for everyone’s input and ongoing support.  The childhood cancer journey is long but OPACC will be around to help our families cope and understand better.

Always,
Hannah’s Dad
Dave Munro