Young Adult Canada Cancer camp postponed after donations drop

A Newfoundland-based charity has had to lay off staff and postpone a camp for young adults with cancer after bringing in fewer donations than usual this year.

Young Adult Cancer Canada — the organization behind Shave for the Brave — has run a national retreat for young people battling cancer for the past 10 years.

However, this year the charity ran a deficit for the first time. As a result, it has had to postpone its summer program until April and lay off three of its staff.

We are totally dependent on the generosity and the desire of other people.- Geoff Eaton

Director Geoff Eaton said the charity has seen a drop across all its revenue streams, but particularly from Shave for the Brave.

He said that while more people than ever are participating in the fundraiser, a tough economy is to blame for fewer donations.

"For the first time in our 10 years we had a little retraction revenue as opposed to growth, which is what we were pushing for," he said.

"We're in a tough economic reality for sure. And I think that as the fiscal year from the provincial government moved on, that became a lot more evident to everybody."

Eaton created Young Adult Cancer Canada in 2000 after his own battle with cancer. In the past 15 years, it has grown into the only national organization dedicated to supporting and educating young adults with the illness.

Eaton said YACC doesn't have the same resources as other cancer charities, such as those supporting breast cancer, pediatric cancer, and prostate cancer. In order to compare to these organizations, YACC needs to grow by more than 500 per cent.

"There's lots of competition. We start from scratch every year. We don't have 10 big partnerships signed up for $100,000 a year for five years in a row," he said.

"We are totally dependent on the generosity and the desire of other people."