A Record Breaking Spring Yard Clean Up for Cancer Fundraiser in Oxford County

Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 05:36

The 12th annual Spring Yard Clean Up for Cancer event raised a record breaking $347,000 this year.

OXFORD COUNTY - The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns didn't stop local volunteers from raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The 12th annual Spring Yard Clean Up for Cancer event featured around 80 volunteers who cleaned up yards in and around Oxford County.

One of the organizers Jason Stubbe says they debated doing the fundraiser this year because of the pandemic.

"We ended up breaking down into small teams, 2-3 people per team and we tried to pick people who would normally be associated at work or through the same household. We cancelled some of the stuff, we do a lot of mulching and things like that to keep the teams small."

They had 54 corporate sponsors this year for the Spring Yard Clean Up for Cancer. They managed to raise $111,000 on their own by cleaning up around 105 lawns. With the corporate sponsors, the grand total reached a remarkable $347,000. This money will go directly to help fund colon and brain cancer research. This was their best year yet, breaking a previous fundraising record in 2019 by $20,000.

Stubbe says the reaction from people when they came to the door was amazing and the generosity was inspiring.

"We have a lot of support, people donate above and beyond the actual work we do. Sometimes we will spend a half an hour at someone's house and collect a very sizable donation. People are happy to donate to the cause."

Stubbe says 100 percent of the donations goes into cancer research.

"We have three motto's, 1, is we are not going to spend money to raise money, so we are not going to spend a nickel to collect a nickel. Number 2, it has to go straight to cancer research, so we work with the local cancer society to direct that. Number 3, all the volunteers have to have fun, so they show up again next year."

Hailey Parliament with the Canadian Cancer Society of Oxford County says since this project started, this amazing group of volunteers has raised over $1.5 million in Oxford County.

The generosity of their sponsors and dedication of their volunteers means no money is spent in raising funds so all funds raised can support cancer research to improve how we find, diagnose, and treat cancer. It’s truly amazing to see the community rally together to support those facing cancer, because even in the face of COVID-19, cancer doesn't stop."