On Thursday night, we ventured west to new Liberty Village hot spot Cinema to join a fine assortment of the city’s movers and shakers, all united to say, “F*CK CANCER.” The event was a product of Fuck Cancer INWYKIWYK™, a new and innovative movement aimed to inspire the younger generation to take a stand in beating this bitch of a disease. You may have seen “F*CK CANCER” t-shirts around town; they evoke conversation and awareness alike and leave others wondering where they may purchase their own. Impossible to miss, the said t-shirt reads “F*CK CANCER” in different colours, representative of the various cancer ribbons. A portion of all net proceeds from t-shirt sales goes to fund cancer research. With the purchase of a t-shirt, a requirement to entry to a F*CK CANCER event (as opposed to a ticket), the party was full of the beloved statement making t-shirts, making outfit choices for the event easy – all it required was a great pair of jeans or tight leather leggings. Event co-host Taylor Kaye of KISS92.5 took it a step further, and donned a shirt she had bedazzled herself.
The high-energy crowd included guests of all ages (and we mean all ages), from barely legal to a refreshingly hard partying older generation of guests of our parents’ age plus. “Toronto represented in a big way, and it was great to see so many young faces out for the cause,” said TSN’s larger-than-life personality Cabbie Richards, who joined Taylor Kaye as a co-host. “Everyone knows someone who has been affected by the disease, and with a chorus of thousands across the country (at all of the events) telling cancer just where to go, it marks a powerful force to stand together united against something so prevalent,” he added.
The doors opened at 9pm and media and VIP guests were ushered in the east doors to a private area where Grey Goose drinks were complimentary and a red carpet was well-attended by some of Canada’s most recognized faces, decked out and ready to raise their middle fingers to the disease we are all too familiar with. Guests included a talented list of hot-ticket party regulars like Kardinal, Danny Fernandez, Stacey McKenzie, Wilder Weir, Tania Kim, Meghan Heffern and Nancy Diaz, among others. The VIP party moved upstairs at 11pm where guests danced the night away to sets by an impressive DJ line up that included Kissette, 4Korners, DJ Apple Scratch and DJ Sound Bwoy. In addition to the t-shirt, F*CK CANCER sunglasses made for some great photo opportunities, likely taken by Cabbie, who got a hold of our camera later on in the VIP area of the club and embarked on a picture-taking spree.
To echo Richards, everyone has been affected by cancer to some degree at this point in our lives and the event marked a unique opportunity for the coming together of people from all circles with the common understanding that “cancer fucking sucks.” Nobody knows that better than Co-Founder Julie Greenbaum, who lost her mother in January 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer and began F*CK CANCER’s international efforts later that year. Julie was joined at the event by her father Hillel and siblings Jacob and Claire Greenbaum.
We managed to chat with Julie, a McGill University student, for a few minutes before the party got too rowdy. “We would like to continue growing this organization by taking it all over North America,” she told us. “Our goal is to engage the younger generation by providing them with a fun, interactive experience where they are able to give back and make a difference while having fun and feeling a sense of responsibility. We have been receiving emails from all over asking us to throw events and we are excited about the future and hope to continue on this path as long as we can.”
When asked advice for fellow young professionals thinking about starting a charity or throwing a charity event, she said, “the only advice I would give to young professionals starting a charitable organization is to “just do it.” I think so many people have great ideas but it’s actually taking the time and effort to make those dreams and ideas into a reality that will set you apart and allow you to achieve your goals.”
F*CK CANCER’s efforts continue to raise considerable funds for research and provide an avenue for the younger generation to fight back against cancer in a fun and unique way, with events that give young adults who have been affected by the disease a completely unique bonding experience. Proceeds from the event went to support research and surgical innovation for cancer treatment at UHN. If you’d like to purchase your own t-shirt, products are available on the site.
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