A group of Albertans proved they would go to new heights to support children with cancer.
Ten skydivers completed a tandem jump from 13,000 feet at Alberta Skydive Central, at the Innisfail Airport, during the Jump for a Cure fundraiser Thursday afternoon.
“It was fantastic – everybody had a great time,” said Brian van Vliet, a Calgary realtor who was one of the event organizers.
“There were six people who had never jumped before, so there was a lot of anxiety with those people, of course, but they all ended absolutely loving it.”
The event has raised about $6,000 for Kids Care Care, which is a charitable organization that helps families fighting childhood cancer in Alberta. Donations are still being accepted for the next 30 days – the goal is to raise $20,000.
A client of Van Vliet’s, Theresa Llewellyn, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. She is also a breast cancer survivor.
“We became close friends over this time and she has been very open on social media about her journey with cancer,” van Vliet said.
“Her positivity made me want to do something more than just write a cheque to charity. I had done some skydiving before and I thought it’d be great to do a skydiving event for charity.”
Llewellyn and van Vliet decided to support Kids Cancer Care with the Jump for a Cure event.
“They do so much for not only the children in need, but also the families. We knew the charity had been hit hard by the pandemic, so we thought the timing was just perfect to do it now,” he said, adding he hopes Jump for a Cure becomes an annual event.
Christine McIver, Kids Cancer Care CEO, said she was thrilled to be part of a “different” kind of fundraiser.
“We kind of thrive on the different at Kids Cancer Care. Everything in the time of COVID can be challenging to put together,” said McIver.
“All of the jumpers have been really good with collecting pledges. They’ve reached out to family, friends and through social media networks. They’ve really put themselves out there.”
Kids Cancer Care has gone through a number of changes since the beginning of the pandemic, said McIver.
“We’re working our way through it. Things change every day and we’re changing every day as well. We’re keeping the families at the forefront of everything we’re doing and it’s guiding us well.”
To donate, visit jumpforacure.ca.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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