Annual Report 2016

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Fundraising Programs
Allison Salinas giving a speech at the 2015
Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer event
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation 23
Everyone has a story, and many of them bring tears to your
eyes. That’s a huge part of what binds participants in the
Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. And some stories, by
virtue of their timing or their telling, take on the quality of a
legend and, ultimately, become part of the folklore. The story
of Alison Salinas is going to be one of those.
Alison—young, full of life and thoughtful of others—was
diagnosed in 2013 with stage 1 cervical cancer, and her
boyfriend, Tyler, participated in the 2014 Ride to support her
fight. Alison was determined to participate herself in the 2015
Ride sporting a yellow flag along with other cancer survivors,
but a recurrence of her cancer took that opportunity from her.
Instead, she shared her story on stage at camp. In her speech,
Alison spoke about how she remained hopeful that thanks to
the funds raised by the Ride, better treatment options would
become available. Sadly, she passed away five months later.
Even riders who love cycling need inspiration to set
ambitious goals and become fundraisers for cancer research.
For the thousands of people at camp that night, Alison
Salinas provided it.
View a wonderful video about Alison through our online
annual report at
Read Alison’s #TEALPOWER Canuck blog at www.
Alison looked forward to riding with her own yellow flag
An inspiring presentation at this event by the head of surgical oncology for The Princess Margaret, Dr. Jonathan Irish,
helped everyone appreciate how the Ride funds are improving outcomes for cancer patients.
Cam Fowler also called the industry back together prior to the Ride to inspire them to do more. He offered a personal
incentive to teams, and challenged them to beat their fundraising goals, and he engaged Air Miles and MasterCard to
bring great prize incentives to all riders fundraising for the event. The success of Cam’s call to action was evident
in the increased participation and inspiration to do more. And under Cam’s leadership, Team BMO raised more
than $500,000.
Cam noted that cancer touches everyone in some way, directly or indirectly, and that “Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre is doing outstanding work and leading us to a place where cancer is controlled and ultimately cured.”
i n t o a h i ghe r ge a r