A musical event is drumming up funds to keep cancer support care free in the community.
No One Dances Alone starts 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Haliburton Legion in support of the Abbey Retreat Centre.
Executive Director Barb Smith-Morrison says the lineup includes singer-songwriter Albert Saxby, funk-reggae group priMates, hard-rocker Carl Dixon, and 11-piece “Highlands Soul Band,” Adverse Conditions.
Smith-Morrison says the fundraiser was the bands’ idea, with the title coming from a common phrase in cancer support work. “The reason we do what we do is so that ‘no one walks alone’ through a cancer experience,” she says.
According to Smith-Morrison, funds raised will support all aspects of their “whole person” cancer support programs, ranging from retreats, to massages, group therapy, arts, yoga, and more.
“We don’t use the word ‘cancer patient’ when people are here, because we want people to be able to see their life in its fullness and totality beyond living with cancer,” says Smith-Morrison.
She says all their services are free of charge, and local residents are prioritized, but they’re currently dealing with a waitlist of more than 200 people. “That waitlist is growing, and we have really focused very much on our programming, and now it’s really time for us, with that kind of ‘proof of concept’ if you will, to lean into fundraising.”
She notes that recent figures from the Canadian Cancer Society show more people being diagnosed with different types of cancer than ever before. “In many ways, what we need to learn to do now is provide supportive quality-of-life settings where people can really explore tools for living well with cancer.”
Tickets are $30, and include a bowl of chili from SIRCH Community Services. You can buy them at the Abbey Retreat Centre’s website or by calling 705-754-2966.
Smith-Morrison adds they’ll also announce the organization’s new name at the end of the night.