SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A cold snap couldn’t hold back the crowds from lining up outside Holman’s Ice Cream Parlour in Summerside, all for a worthy cause.
“We don’t know Camden Kingyens family directly, but one of our sons had some health issues when he was young, and I know it can be a struggle. When we heard the news about Camden’s cancer diagnosis, it pulled at our heartstrings. We knew we could help their cause,” said Ken Meister, owner of the ice cream parlour, located at 286 Fitzroy Street in Summerside.
“This was an opportunity for the community to donate while we provide the venue. And the support over the two-days has been fantastic. I’ve never been anywhere, where people wait in line for over an hour to be served and are still happy, singing, and having a great time.”
The unique two-day fundraiser kicked off Friday had all the proceeds of ice cream sold, including the 16 flavour sponsorships, going to the three-year-old’s fund to combat cancer.
“We continue to be blown away by the support of our community, and Holman’s is no exception,” said Victoria Kingyens, who has been by her son’s side since his cancer diagnosis before Christmas.
She added, “It’s a brilliant establishment with family values pouring from their hearts. Their generosity is overwhelming, and we could never thank them enough. Also, to the people of Summerside and surrounding areas that attended the ice cream event, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Holman’s Ice Cream Parlour went through 90 tubs of ice cream by the end of the fundraiser that wrapped-up on Saturday at 10 p.m. The owners of the parlour were not willing to specify the amount raised through the fundraiser.
“The generosity of the community is amazing. We lived in a lot of different places before moving to Summerside eight years ago. We noticed that Islanders (and those in Summerside in general) rally around a significant cause. People here are very caring and very generous,” said Meister.
Meanwhile, Camden continues to put on a brave smile, despite having an “aggressive and difficult to treat” form of brain cancer.
“In two weeks, he will have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan to determine if we need to travel to Toronto for the stem cell transplant, which is around four months long,” said Victoria.
“We are anxiously awaiting those results, as Toronto is our best option for Camden right now. If Camden has not had enough response to chemotherapy, we will remain in Halifax for radiotherapy. Everything depends on his next MRI scan.”
To support Camden Kingyens, visit the GoFundMe page by clicking here.
