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Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Kids Curing Cancer raises over $48,000 in final year
Kids Curing Cancer (KCC) raised $48,452.30 in this year’s campaign, which is their last. Over the 13 years of KCC, they raised over $262,000. (Left photo): Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn Baillargeon show this year’s total to representatives of the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation (WCCF) and the Erie Shores Health Foundation (ESHF) including Anita Riccio-Spagnuolo and Houida Kassem of WCCF and Chrissy Kelton and Penny Bellhouse from ESHF. (Right photo): Both of this year’s recipients were joined by the Baillargeon family and Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery co-owner Steve Mitchell to display KCC’s 13-year total.
By Ron Giofu
Kids Curing Cancer (KCC) has gone out with a bang. In what was KCC’s 13th and final year, this year’s campaign raised $48,452.30 with cheque presentations taking place late last Friday afternoon at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery. The money will be split between the Erie Shores Health Foundation (ESHF) and the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation (WCCF), with representatives from each organizations receiving $24,226.15. “Sitting down to write this speech felt a little different because we knew this was Kids Curing Cancer’s final presentation and the closing of a most incredible journey,” said Lauren Baillargeon. Lauren and siblings Ty and Kierstyn were the “kids” behind “Kids Curing Cancer” with Lauren starting it when she was nine-years-old with the support of her parents Jodi and Gary. It was in
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memory of the Baillargeon children’s grandfather Dan Gerard, Jodi’s father. The main component of the annual KCC campaign is the pasta and music night, with this year’s event being Feb. 21 at Sprucewood Shores. The Mitchell family owns the winery with Steve Mitchell being on hand for the April 17 cheque presentation. Lauren thanked the family as well as Chef Don from 3-D Catering for their efforts that night. Lauren said the pasta and music night is the “grand finale” of the annual KCC campaign. The pasta and music night raised $15,341 of the overall $48,452.30 figure. Other businesses, sports teams and organizations, dance studios, schools, community groups and individuals helped contribute the rest through their own fundraising for KCC. Kierstyn said they usually make the cheque presentation closer to their grandfather’s March 8 birthday. She said
donations continued to come in after the pasta and music night and since there won’t be a KCC campaign next year to put the funding towards, they held off on the cheque presentations in order to make sure everything was donated this year. “I think we all have mixed emotions about this,” added Ty. “This fundraiser has taken on a life of its own and become so incredibly big its getting difficult for us to run and manage.” Ty added they have made so many partnerships and collaborated with so many groups and they are appreciative of the businesses, schools and groups that have supported them. Lauren called it “an amazing problem to have” and that they wanted to get more people, especially youth, involved. “Our hope is that we’ve inspired enough kids in the past 13 years to keep the Kids Curing Cancer momentum going,” said Lauren. Kierstyn added they hope that they’ve
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touched enough students and leadership clubs in schools to find what is important to them and to fundraise for it. Ty said they hope sports teams were inspired to do the same, and give back to their communities. “We hope we’ve shown kids across Windsor-Essex that all it takes is a little idea and some motivation and the most amazing things can happen,” said Lauren. “Because of Lauren’s idea to raise $50 (13 years ago), much needed medical equipment has been purchased and upgraded in two of our local hospitals,” Kierstyn said. “Medical imaging and cancer care has been brought closer to home, wait times have been reduced, hospice suites have been upgraded and staffed, families have been able to stay closer to their children through the Ronald McDonald House and supports have been given to children through the Fight Like Mason Foundation.
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