Charlottetown Curl for Cancer fundraiser pays tribute to its founder Carole Kennedy

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Charlottetown Curl for Cancer will be missing someone very special this Saturday.
This is the first event since the death of its founder, Carole Kennedy, who died in Florida in March at the age of 81.
Kennedy was a longtime member of the Charlottetown Curling Club (CCC) and a former columnist with The Guardian and The Evening Patriot newspapers. She was a former realtor in Ottawa and held a life-long interest in art and literature, earning a bachelor of arts in English from UPEI in 2009 and an master of arts in the same subject from Athabasca University in 2014.
She started Curl for Cancer in 1984, as a memorial tribute to David Matheson, a well-known P.E.I. curler. The event has been held annually since then at the Charlottetown club.
The fundraiser has now spread to curling clubs around the globe.
“We were sorry to hear of Carole’s passing,” said Lisa Jackson, chairwoman of the Charlottetown Curl for Cancer committee. “Carole has always been a wonderful source of knowledge and support and she will be truly missed.”
The date for the Charlottetown Curl for Cancer is later than usual this year, but Jackson was determined to hold the event in 2019 and maintain the tradition.
“It’s a busy time of year but we hope that teams will rally in Carole’s memory and join us on Dec. 14th,” Jackson said. “We want to make sure this event continues, as that is what Carole would want.”
Kennedy’s grandchildren have reached out to organizers to thank them for continuing the Curl for Cancer tradition.
Charlottetown Curl for Cancer takes place Saturday at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, with draws at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. It’s $20 per curler, or $80 per team to participate. There will also be memorial curling rocks for sale, as well as a silent and live auction.
Organizers say they will pause during the event, to pay tribute to Kennedy’s legacy, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society during more than three decades.
To register a team, contact Lisa at 902-316-0449 or [email protected] and follow Charlottetown Curl for Cancer on Facebook.