WHAM McGill teamed up with UdeM peers to organize dragon boat race Brave the Waves, raising over $19K for breast cancer support
Braving the rain as well as the waves, university, CÉGEP and community dragon boat teams gathered on the Lachine Canal to race on June 28. The Brave the Waves race and fundraiser was held in support of More Than a Cure (MTAC), a Montreal non-profit organisation founded by breast cancer survivors dedicated to supporting women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Co-led by Women’s Health Awareness Movement (WHAM) president and McGill medical student Allison Engo and Club sportif Bateau Dragon Boat de UdeM (CsBUM) President and Université de Montréal medical student Eric Wang, this was the first edition of the event.
“We hoped to gather maybe 60 people and raise a few hundred dollars,” said Allison. “I still can’t believe we brought together over 350 people from around Montreal and raised over 19K!”
Living with breast cancer can cost women and their families an extra $800-1,000 per month, note the students. MTAC helps support these women by ensuring that their families’ basic needs are met, such as food and clothing, as well as providing wellness groups and custom wigs to the women undergoing treatment.
Apart from the dragon boat race, the event included performances from ECHO (l’Université de Montréal’s K-pop club), a live DJ set hosted by McGill medical student Dev Patel, as well as a rendition of “Rise Up” by McGill medical student Julia Duong . There were also food stands from McGill’s Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese cultural clubs and local restaurants like Maison O Thé and TT Café. The event was supported by local small businesses who provided raffle prizes worth over $9,000 – from gym passes and restaurant gift cards to a free hotel stay and breakfast.
The sun came out just in time for the final races, the raffle prize announcements and the grand reveal of the large cheque.
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