Mar 18, 2019
My name is Owen, I am 11 years old and I have been participating in the Raymond James Father’s Day Walk / Run for Prostate Cancer with Island Prostate Centre since I was 5 years old. I started going to the walk when my Poppa was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer. Since then we have made the Father’s Day walk a tradition with our family and friends.
I feel the need to participate in this event every year as I love my Poppa and I want to help people like him who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. My Poppa is an incredible man who has always been there for me. We have lots of things we do together, just the two of us, that are special: doing crossword puzzles, reading books, going golfing, chats while driving me to school and of course he gives the best hugs ever. I am very thankful for my Poppa. I can not put into words how much his love and support means to me. My participation with the Father’s Day Walk and fundraising is one of the things I can do to show my appreciation and love for my Poppa.
Island Prostate Centre doesn’t just help my Poppa with his diagnosis they support my whole family. We have built close friendships with Leanne Kopp and all the others at the centre.
I enjoy the Father’s Day event because of the pancake breakfast, the games, the massage, the chocolate and the live entertainment… and don’t forget the photo booth for great memories! My favorite part of the event is seeing all the families and friends gathering in support of all those affected by prostate cancer.
Since my Poppa’s diagnosis I have been supporting Island Prostate Centre by fundraising. I have raised money through freezie sales, selling toys, garage sales, asking friends and family
for money instead of presents, bottle drives and more! So far I have raised $20,890. My goal for this year is to reach $25,000. Sometimes kids think they can’t make a difference in the world but we can. Just because we are small, or young we still have the power to make peoples lives better.
If you would like to support the Owen’s Poppa fund you can donate here.
The Raymond James Father’s Day Walk / Run for Prostate Cancer takes place on Sunday, June 16th, 2019 at the Vancouver Island Tech Park. To donate, register or find out more information, please visit www.doingitfordad.org.
Mar 5, 2019
David and Joel are not the typical “guys” you hear talking about the importance of annual testing when it comes to prostate cancer. But there is nothing “typical” about these 2 at all!
We were fortunate enough to meet David and Joel (also known as Team Tasty) last year when they approached us about doing a tastefully nude calendar, with the hope of raising a lot of money for prostate cancer. Who knew that this would equate to hundreds of calendars being sold, and over $16,000 raised? They certainly did!
These 2 get it – unlike other men their age, they know that talking about prostate cancer is not shameful or embarrassing. The purpose of the calendar, through the nudes, is to raise awareness and to support the courage that it takes to overcome the discomforts of prostate cancer.
We are proud to say that the funds raised by Team Tasty stays in this community, better supporting men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Their impact?
In 2018, we saw a 16% growth in participation of our twice a week Cancer Recovery Exercise Program. Thanks to the support from Team Tasty, we have been able to hire a second Certified Athletic Therapist, which means that we do not need to limit the amount of men participating in the class and that we do not need to create a wait list for those interested in attending. Because of them, any man diagnosed with prostate cancer here in our community will be afforded a spot in a free exercise program that will be crucial to both his physical recovery and his social connections for better treatment outcomes.
Thanks, Team Tasty, for Getting Cheeky for the Cause!
Dec 13, 2018
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff at Island Prostate Centre, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who has supported us – service users, volunteers, and donors – over the past year. We also pass along our best wishes for the holiday season – may you have health and happiness in 2019.
We look forward to helping next year!
Note: Island Prostate Centre will be closed for the holiday season from Monday, December 24th to Tuesday, January 1st, 2019. We will reopen on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2019.
Nov 26, 2018
Big changes happening for Island Prostate Centre. Tomorrow (November 27th) is moving day, when we relocate to our new office at 100, 1121 Yates Street. Please be patient with us for the next couple of days during this transition but know we are still here to help if you need us. Call or drop by to see us – office hours are the same, Monday to Thursday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Oct 31, 2018
The doors of Island Prostate Centre have been open since November of 2000. We began with great expectations: those expectations have been exceeded by an extraordinary outpouring of generosity from people in our community. Through the spirit of giving, you have allowed us to make a significant difference to men with prostate cancer and their families here on Vancouver Island. You have helped to save the lives of men whose cancer was detected early enough to treat effectively. You have helped men to choose the best treatments for themselves, and to deal with a potentially frightening diagnosis. And you have helped family members as the important men in their lives, husband or father, went through treatment.
It was because of you that allowed us to offer critical support to men when they needed us.
Looking forward, and to build on our 18 years of success, some important changes are coming for Island Prostate Centre. Changes that are going to increase our capacity to help more men and their families just like you.
As of December 1st, Island Prostate Centre will have a new home. We are very excited to announce that 100, 1121 Yates Street is where we are relocating and will continue to provide cost free programs and services to anyone who needs our help. By moving into this new location and forming stronger partnerships with the Urologists, this will translate into enhanced services and programs for all men diagnosed with prostate cancer and their families as well. By working together, with an emphasis on better integrated services, this seems both a natural and perfect fit. A long time coming one might say! We foresee it will greatly strengthen the provision of our nurse support program, follow-up, psychological support and peer counselling here in our community. Our goal is that there is an increase in the access to our supportive care programs as more men simply will know that we are here.
Besides our physical location, nothing else will change – not our phone number, our hours of operation or our ability to help when needed.
Once the paint dries and we get settled in, we will be hosting an Open House and would love to welcome you into our new space. Stay tuned for more details!
Apr 16, 2018
It’s National Volunteer Week and we just want to say thanks! Actually, we shouldn’t pause just to say thanks this particular week, this gratefulness is present ALL YEAR ROUND!
Island Prostate Centre has now been serving men and their families on Vancouver Island for close to 18 years. As many of you know, IPC has always had a very small staff complement. From this, it is pretty self-explanatory how important our volunteers have been, and continue to be for us!
Incredibly, we have volunteers who have been with us from day one and those who have joined us more recently. Our volunteers undertake very committed roles, from providing nurse support, varied aspects of peer support to men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and lots of projects and activities in between.
Simply put, our volunteers are AMAZING. They inspire us in our work every single day. We simply could not begin to do what we do for men and their families in our community if we didn’t have our community of volunteers supporting our efforts
George H.W. Bush once said “The solution to each problem that confronts us begins with an individual who steps forward and who says ‘I can help‘”.
For all of you who have stepped up and asked “how can I help”, you will never know the impact you have had and will continue to have in making life better for men right here in our community.
Are you thinking about volunteering and want some help to get you started? Just be in touch as we have several opportunities, including our Raymond James Father’s Day Walk / Run for Prostate Cancer, coming up on Sunday, June 17th whereby we are always looking for volunteer help.
And if volunteering isn’t for you, that’s okay. There are so many other ways to support Island Prostate Centre. Participating in our Westcoast Motorcycle Ride to Live or the Raymond James Father’s Day Walk / Run are just a couple of ways.
We will continue to say “thank you ” to each of our volunteers all year round. It’s not just this week – we appreciate you each and every day.
