(Submitted photo/Jessica Raycraft)

By Dawson Thompson

Harvest for Gold

New provincial fundraiser to help support families battling childhood cancer

Sep 13, 2021 | 5:00 PM

The province of Saskatchewan will be seeing a new fundraiser this year to help support families that are battling childhood cancer.

‘Harvest for Gold’ will be online this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The fundraiser will run from September 19-26.

An 8,000 pound tote of fertilizer will be available in the auction, a $200 gift card from UFA, and many donations from small businesses in the province.

This year, the planning for Harvest for Gold began in August. In future years, the plan will be to begin preparing in March.

Each day, a daily awareness post will be posted on the Harvest for Gold Facebook page. Each post will bring awareness to a different cancer. Like, sharing, and commenting on the post will enter participants for a daily door prize.

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“Cancer is something that touches everybody in this province. Our motto is neighbors helping neighbors is the Saskatchewan way,” Jessica Raycraft, organizer and founder of the fundraiser, said. “Neighbours step up when somebody needs help.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about childhood cancer and raise as much money as we can for these two organizations.”

The plan is to make this an annual fundraiser that will coincide with childhood cancer awareness month.

All proceeds raised will go towards comfort funds, including gas, hotel, and food vouchers.

Raycraft said that these things are not covered by the provincial government, and can swallow a family up financially.

The fundraiser is partnering with Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, the reason being that they can immediately help a family in need, said Raycraft.

“We want social work to be able to go to the foundation and access immediate funds,” Raycraft said.

All proceeds will go towards these foundations and will be staying in the province supporting local families.

In March, Raycraft’s one-year-old son Frederick was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma SHH. It is a tumor that develops in the primary central nervous system, and either begins in the brain or spinal cord.

“When we were diagnosed, we were overwhelmed by the support of our community,” Raycraft said. “There is a lot of added costs, especially coming from a rural area.

“I found that a lot of families that did not have the financial or moral support we had. I got together with three strangers who are on the journey, and we decided we wanted to give back.”

Each year in Canada between 250-500 people under the age of 18 are diagnosed with brain cancer.

Donations and more information can be found on their Facebook page and their email at harvestforgold@gmail.com.

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8