A major charity event is hoping for its biggest year ever after announcing some major changes to its format and purpose.
But the biggest change is obviously the impact. Statistics show that one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast or gynaecologic cancer in her lifetime and Lee Elliott, chief communications officer with the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the beneficiary of the event's proceeds, said the event needed to grow to reflect that.
"We were finding from research around the world that researchers were increasingly finding links between these women's cancers."
As an example, she elaborated that an inherited gene adds to a woman's risk of both breast and ovarian cancers. She also mentioned the links surrounding behaviour like regular exercise. "Participants in this event do lower their risk of developing cancers of all types. This is a very positive undertaking … 60K is no walk in the park," she laughed.
To learn more or to sign up, visit endcancer.ca. The Weekend to End Women's Cancers takes place Aug. 7 and 8.
Morinville United says YESS to night of homelessness on Saturday
This is just a reminder that this is the big weekend for a hearty group of young people in Morinville. The members of the Morinville United Church Youth Group will be camping out as an object lesson in homelessness and fundraiser for the Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS).
The agency has struggled lately to make ends meet as it strives to provide a multitude of programs and services for homeless and at-risk youth.
Valerie Loseth, the group's organizer, explained that the kids, aged 12 to 16, do something every year in the area of social awareness. The town doesn't have its own homeless shelter but they still wanted to focus on a project that directly impacted people in their own age group.
Jared Loseth, one of the participants, said that raising money and awareness is important but he says they really have one goal in mind. "We're just hoping that people open their hearts."
The 24-hour event starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27. To learn more about the charity, call 780-468-7070 or visit www.yess.org. The church is located at 9610 Morinville Drive. Call 780-939-5888 for more info.
