September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the not-for-profit organization ChildCan is ensuring that help is there for families who need it during extremely difficult times.
Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of Canadian children, with the incidence rate of childhood cancer in Ontario increasing by approximately 1 per cent each year, according to data from ChildCan from 1986-2018.
Amy Mathias, Community Engagement and Communications Associate with ChildCan, says there will be many flag raising events across Ontario tomorrow, as well as events throughout the month, including Childcan Pyjama Walks. Mathias says those are very symbolic and are meant to be in solidarity with the kids going through treatment.
"We encourage people to stay in their pyjamas, we call it the ChildCan Pyjama Walk, so that people are in solidarity with the kids who rarely get out of their pyjamas during treatment," Mathias explained. "Childhood cancer treatment is not day surgery. We're talking anywhere from six weeks to three years of treatment, and during that time pyjamas are extremely comfortable for these kids."
Mathias says Childcan is there to help families with many supports, including covering travel and other costs to places like London Health Sciences Centre, where many childhood cancer treatments occur.
"Immediately on diagnosis, ChildCan is there with parking passes for the entire length of the child's treatment, which, as I mentioned, could be anywhere up to three years. So they get to keep that parking pass for the duration of their stay, and that saves a huge fortune right off the bat," she said. "We also help with other incurred costs, whether it be groceries, gas costs, utilities, bills, mortgage payments, those bills don't stop. But for a lot of parents, one of them if not sometimes both of them has to give up their jobs in order to look after their sick child for the months that they're in the hospital."
A gold ribbon is the internationally recognized awareness symbol for all forms of childhood cancer.
"Gold is a precious metal, just as children are our most precious treasure. We are deeply thankful to the municipalities across Southwestern Ontario that are glowing gold, raising flags, and officially recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month," added Suzanne Fratschko Elliott, Executive Director at Childcan. "These actions speak volumes about the importance of standing with our children and their families. We invite everyone to join this meaningful movement— whether it’s attending a flag raising, displaying an awareness lawn sign, or stepping out for the Childcan Pyjama Walk. Together, we can honour the bravery of our young heroes and help drive real change this September."
Mathias says donations are what keep ChildCan going, and throughout the month there will be many events and opportunities to donate, including a walk and bike across the new Gordie Howe Bridge. Childcan serves 25 per cent of all children diagnosed with childhood cancer across Ontario. For more information on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month or to donate, visit childcan.com/gold.
Flag raising events are set for the following dates and areas:
September1:
-Stratford will host a flag raising ceremony at Stratford City Hall at 8:30 a.m.
-St. Mary's will host a flag raising ceremony at St. Mary's Town Hall at 10 a.m.
-Aylmer will host a flag raising ceremony at Aylmer Town Hall at 11 a.m.
-Amherstburg will also host a flag raising ceremony at Amherstburg Town Hall at 12 p.m.
-Chatham will host a flag raising ceremony at Chatham-Kent Civic Centre at 12 p.m.
-Owen Sound will host a flag raising ceremony at City Hall at 3 p.m.
-Huron County will fly a flag at the Huron County Courthouse for the month of September
-London will fly a flag and illuminate City Hall, RBC Place, and other buildings from September 1-7.
-Tecumseh will fly a flag and illuminate their Town Hall building
September 2, 3, 4:
-LaSalle will host a flag raising ceremony at the Civic Centre at 12 p.m. on September 2
-Kingsville will host a flag raising ceremony at the Kingsville Arena Complex at 12 p.m. on September 3
-Essex will host a flag raising ceremony at 12pm on September 4
-Sault Ste. Marie will host a flag raising ceremony at 1pm on September 4
Rest of September:
-Elgin County will host a flag raising ceremony at 10 a.m. on September 8
-St. Thomas will host a flag raising ceremony at 10 a.m. on September 21.
Childcan Pyjama Walk Dates:
Pull on your PJs and take steps to support children facing childhood cancer this September.
A diagnosis of cancer in a child is devastating and the financial and emotional impact on families can be unbearable...so we walk. We walk because we care. We walk to provide comfort and remember. We walk to ease the burden and provide hope to our kids and families.
-Saturday, September 12, 2026, 4-7 p.m., at Lion's Park, Mitchell
-Saturday, September 19, 2026, 11-2 p.m., at Harrison Park, Owen Sound
-Saturday, September 19, 2026, 4-7 p.m., at Springbank Gardens, London
-Sunday, September 20, 2026, 10-1 p.m., at the Vollmer Complex, LaSalle
-Sunday, September 20, 2026, 1-4 p.m., at Mike Weir Park, Brights Grove
-Saturday, September 26, 2026, 10-1 p.m., at Roberta Bondar Park, Sault Ste. Marie
Community Event Dates:
-Gordie Howe Bridge Walk & Ride, Windsor, September 10
-The Amazingly fun Race, Kitchener-Waterloo, September 26
