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Over $15,000 raised for Kids Curing Cancer campaign
Family friend Pat Durance presents Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn Baillargeon as well as the rest of their family with a plaque during last Saturday’s fundraising dinner (above). Music is always a main part of the fundraiser and that was no different this year (left).
By Ron Giofu Kids Curing Cancer’s final year included another big crowd at its pasta and music night on the weekend. A packed house of 250 people attended KCC’s fundraiser Saturday
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night at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in Amherstburg, with the Baillargeon family, their friends and supporters and the general public in full support of the cause. Proceeds from this year’s KCC campaign will be split between the new oncology
department at Erie Shores Health Care in Leamington and the patient assistance program at Windsor Regional Hospital. It is the 13th year for Kids Curing Cancer. Its first year was 2014 and it was founded in memory of Dan Gerard, the grandfather of Lauren, Ty and Kierstyn Baillargeon, who are the “kids” of Kids Curing Cancer. The campaign not only includes the dinner, but school fundraisers, community organizations, dance studios and sports organizations raising money, and more. Lauren Baillargeon, who
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helped start KCC when she was nineyears-old, said schools have formed leadership teams simply due to their involvement with KCC. Baillargeon added the campaign is also made up of such simple fundraisers as children hosting lemonade stands and the goal is to also pass the torch to people like that to keep the fundraising going in the future. Baillargeon said their lives are getting busier and that they are being “pulled in many different directions,” so that is why they are stopping. She pointed out the original goal was never to go 13 years to begin with, as the original plan was to raise $50 to thank nurses and doctors that helped her grandfather. The first year raised over $3,800 so they followed it up with a second year and then a third, with the community support ongoing. The “kids” of KCC are becoming young adults, she added, but pointed out they learned life lessons through their involvement. “We’re on track for our biggest year yet,” said Baillargeon, adding the 13-year total will surpass $250,000 this year. The 250 tickets went quickly, Baillargeon stated, and there was even a wait list to get in. Proceeds from Saturday night’s dinner were announced Sunday night and it alone raised $15,341. The overall total from the campaign will be revealed when cheque presentations are done in March, near Gerard’s birthday. Lauren, Kierstyn and Ty said efforts have expanded to the community as a whole, noting they all have become part of the “KCC family.”
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