Our Mission

Our MISSION is to provide hope, support, advocacy and education to families.

NOFCC is an independent Canadian volunteer based registered charity established in 1998 by a group of parents of children with cancer.  These parents wanted to provide help and support to families, which was not available through other programs.  Being parents themselves, they recognized the particular difficulties involved in caring for a child with cancer and the geographic challenges of living in the north.  NOFCC serves all families who have been touched by childhood cancer – families with a child on active treatment, those off treatment or receiving follow up care, and bereaved families. 

NOFCC’s program and services are aimed at meeting the needs of the entire family and deal mainly with alleviating both the emotional and financial stress that families of children with cancer deal with on a daily basis. 

NOFCC serves all of Northern Ontario from the Huntsville, Parry Sound area all the way through to the Thunder Bay District. NOFCC is not funded by the government and the volunteers rely solely on fundraising activities and donations. 

In order to achieve its mission of enhancing the lives of children and their families coping with childhood cancer, NOFCC provides a variety of services, delivered through three core programs (subject to funding):

-Financial Assistance

-Educational supports

-Emotional Support and Advocacy

Financial Assistance Program :   A daily per diem is available to those who submit a request on the 10^th of each month, to help offset some of the costs a family might have. Families are eligible for these funds for days spent away from home, which is defined by +100kms from the place of residence.

HomeFAP:  A daily per diem is available to those who submit a request on the 10^th of each month for the month prior, to offset some of the costs a family might have while remaining in city of residence for treatment. Families eligible for these funds are receiving treatment within 100kms of their home.

Emergency Program: Funds are available for household, travel and personal emergency needs.  Requests are assessed on an individual basis.

Patient Amenities: Funds are available for medical related expenses. This is used for families without adequate medical coverage, or expenses not covered by OHIP or private insurance.

Tutoring Program: An annual fund to provide assistance with a qualified tutor for children in need; on the advice of the Interlink nurse.

Parking Program:  Assistance with parking costs while receiving treatment at Health Sciences North, CHEO or any treatment center. Tokens or parking passes are available for parking at Health Sciences North.

Transit Program: Reimbursements are available for transportation to and from treatment centres, airports, bus stations, and medical related appointments.

Accommodation Support:  NOFCC will cover the cost of hotel stays when the Ronald McDonald House is not available, and other arrangements are not possible. NOFCC covers the difference incurred after the deduction of the Northern Ontario Travel Grant.

Telephone Program: Long distance prepaid calling cards are made available to all families while they are away from home with their child for treatment, and sent with each financial assistance package monthly. Can be replaced by Tim Horton’s cards for those with all inclusive phone plans.

Palliative Support Program: Assistance with special support during the end-of-life period in a patient’s illness, on the advice of the Interlink nurse, to include the bereavement period. Such services as house maintenance and meals are provided to families. Funds are also available to assist in funeral costs.

Benevolent Fund:  Supportive gift sent to grieving families.

Bereavement Fund:Families are offered supportive services during bereavement which can be but not limited to, grief services, support programs, counselling, books, resources, and educational materials.

Bone Marrow Transplant & Chronic Illness Patient Assistance: Once a patient begins preparations for transplant they will be eligible or assistance through a one-time grant.

Keep Connected Program:Laptop and iPad lending program allows children to keep up with their school work, as well as keeping in touch with friends and staying occupied during long hours of treatment.

Shine Bright Bursaries:  Bursaries for post-secondary education for childhood cancer survivors, their siblings and siblings of children who have succumbed to cancer are available. The criteria and the application form can be found on the website (www.nofcc.ca).

Special Events: The NOFCC organizes and hosts events to support children, teens and parents throughout the year, including an annual Christmas party and a Family Fun Day.

Communication Program: A newsletter is e-mailed to members and supporters several times a year.  NOFCC also supports a website at www.nofcc.ca and a Facebook Page.

Support Group:    Twice a month a parent-led support group is held at the NOFCC office in Sudbury, Ontario. It starts at 6:30pm and runs until approximately 8:00pm. There is no professional counsellor present at this group, it is just a space for parents to gather and support one another. Please check the schedule on the NOFCC website or call the office to find out more. Set to begin in February 2015

EMLA Patches:EMLA patches are available at HSN’s Northeast Cancer Centre for patients receiving care there.

Gift Cards:  Gift cards are given to families who are away for extended stays out of town, to the discretion of NOFCC.

**Except for a very low administration cost, all money raised goes to the families through our programs*