Super sliding

Sometimes a good little thing can go a big long way.

Such is the case for the annual Curl for Cancer, which started out as a bonspiel at the Charlottetown Curling Club 25 years ago and is now a cross-Canada event and even has international representation.

Since its inception in 1984, Charlottetowns Curl for Cancer fundraiser has raised more than $150,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society, upwards of $13,000 last year alone.

Its my baby, says the events 71-year-old founder, Carole Kennedy of Charlottetown.

Until 1983, Kennedy hadnt given curling a single thought. But after a divorce, her lawyer, John Fortier, encouraged her to take up the sport to take her mind off personal matters. She took to the rink with gusto and actually won a rookie of the year award.

In 1984, she volunteered for the clubs public relations committee, and Doug Cameron, who was then club president, asked her for some ideas.

Membership was down all across Canada and in the states and Doug said, 'Try to think of something that will bring new people into the club, she remembers.

A friends brother had died of cancer so that was in her mind as she mulled over various ideas.

(Then) one night I just sat up in bed and thought curl for cancer, Kennedy re-members of the concept that would jointly raise money for the P.E.I. division of the Canadian Cancer Society and heighten awareness of the sport of curling in general.

Although Curl for Cancer is definitely a catchy title, the event actually started out with the lengthy handle of the David H. Matheson Curl for Cancer Fundraising Extravaganza in honour of her friends deceased brother. But as the event started to expand beyond P.E.I.s borders, that title was shortened.

I started promoting it first in other Maritime provinces and then throughout Canada and into the states. And now Curl for Cancer is an international bonspiel. It raises millions of dollars every year, Kennedy says.

Back in 1984 in Charlottetown, things were slow to start at first. The posted draw board drew few names so Kennedy approached her lawyer and asked for some help.

I said. If you could maybe put in a team of lawyers we could have a VIP draw and well put the lawyers against the judges and that sort of thing. Just so long as I get some names of up there and if the other curlers see names, particularly names like yours, then theyre going to sign up too, says Kennedy, who also got Charlottetown-raised NHL hockey star Rick Vaive onboard as honorary chairperson.

It was quite a feather in our cap to get Rick Vaive. He brought in people, she remembers.

In order to attract plenty of publicity, she also made up a draw of media teams such as The Guardian and CFCY who promoted the event through their various venues.

These strategies worked. The first Curl for Cancer in March 1984 attracted about 60 teams and raised more than $3,300.

The second time around, which was in October of that same year, due to a desire to hold the annual event at the start of the curling season instead of the end, names appeared like magic on the sign-up board.

It got so that for every Curl for Cancer we didnt even put the board up because we had so many people signing up from the year before that there was no point, Kennedy says.

There are plenty of donated prizes to be had each year, but the trophy itself had a bonspiel life prior to the Curl for Cancer event.

I needed a trophy but I didnt want to spend money . . . . so (curler) Don Wonnacott . . . had this nice big (curling) trophy. I spotted it up on the wall and it hadnt been used for years, she says. We polished it up and it gleamed. Its a beautiful trophy.

To push Curl for Cancer off-Island and forward, using her own money, Kennedy methodically started writing to nearby curling clubs and gradually farther afield to spark interest in this fundraising event for cancer societies everywhere.

It was too good a thing. It was raising money to fight a disease that in one way or another touches everybody. Everybody knows someone or has a friend who has been touched by cancer everybody, she says. I finally figured that all you need to cure cancer is money, if you can just raise enough money.

The first to pick up Curl for Cancer was a club in Wolfville, N.S. Now it is held as far away as Germany and the Netherlands.

Right now, Im working on China, she says with a smile. Theyre just starting (the sport) so I think they can start Curl for Cancer, too.

And as the Nov. 21-22 Charlottetown Curl for Cancer nears, it seems likely that the success of previous years will be repeated once again with more than 50 teams, including teams from several media organizations and service groups from across P.E.I., signed up, perpetuating its long-term popularity.

Cancer affects everyone, and we want to raise money to put an end to the suffering that (it causes) and make life better for people if they are living with cancer, says Curl for Cancer chair Lisa Jackson.

And it has always been part of this club. Most of the people on the (Curl for Cancer) committee are club members. And every year this is what we do. So I assume it will go on for years after this.



At a glance

Curl for Cancer facts

What: 25th annual Curl for Cancer funspiel.

Why: To raise funds for the P.E.I. division of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Where: Charlottetown Curling Club, 241 Euston St.

When: Nov. 21, 6-11 p.m., and Nov. 22, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Who: More than 50 teams, including teams from several media organizations and service groups from across the Island, have signed up for the event.

Draw times: The curling draws start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, followed by 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will be a service club draw at 1 p.m. and a media draw at 3 p.m.

Fun for everyone: The public is welcome to join in on the fun Friday evening with trivia, a live auction with Dennis Lowther from D&L auctions and karaoke with Arlene Curley. Saturday is another full day with curling draws and other activities, including a bake sale, raffles, lucky draw prize grab and silent auction. There will also be music from the Pedagogues on Saturday afternoon.

Helping out: Numerous Island businesses and club members have donated items such as gift certificates for green fees, spa treatments, hotel accommodations and fine dining. Christmas crafts will be available to bid on in the auction. The public is invited to watch, participate or bid on the auctions and participate in the other activities.