Canadian Cancer society to close Williams Lake, B.C., office
Cancer Society to close office due to low demand and high administrative costs
The Canadian Cancer Society will be shutting down its office in Williams Lake, B.C., next month after more than three decades in operation.
The society couldn't justify the high administrative costs given the demand for services in the community said Nancy Shelford, the northern B.C. volunteer engagement co-ordinator with the Canadian Cancer Society.
"Over time we've seen that the number of people who visit a physical office is declining because people get information much differently than they did a decade ago for example and we have to keep pace with that change," she said.
The office costs about $5,400 a year which equates to about 30 per cent of donations gathered in Williams Lake.
Shelford said that ratio is just too high for many donors to justify, especially given the 40 per cent rise in cancer cases that the society predicts will happen by 2030.
Services need to be 'sustainable'
"This is a big change," said Shelford.
"We have to ensure that our services are sustainable and that we're directing as much money as possible into research."
She hopes the society will be able to find other ways to engage the current volunteers through avenues like outreach.
"I know that they care passionately about the cancer cause and they care about passionately about their community too," said Shelford.
Leeyann Allan has been volunteering with the society since 2005 when her grandmother was dying of cancer.
This year, she was diagnosed with the disease herself and said her work with the society has helped her in her journey.
"So many people have come to me being so scared and wanting reassurance and [being] unsure of where to go to get help… for me, I knew all those answers," said Allan.
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Allan said she is sad to see the office close, but is happy that people in Williams Lake will still be able to access Canadian Cancer Society services online and by phone.
The Williams Lake office is set to close on Dec. 22, 2017.