Teenagers separate themselves into fragments. This event pulls them back together.
In a gymnasium in Kamloops, high school students have spent five years turning spinning pedals into something more durable than momentum — nearly $30,000 directed toward pediatric oncology fellowships at BC Children's Hospital. The Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program uses these funds to train elite physicians from across the world, bridging the distance between a teenager's afternoon effort and a child's chance at survival. It is a quiet reminder that community commitment, sustained over time, can reach further than any single act of generosity.
- Funding for the Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program has dropped from $75,000 to $50,000 annually, making grassroots contributions from schools like NorKam increasingly critical to keeping international fellowships alive.
- This year's 'Ride for Cancer' raised $5,400 in a single afternoon, pushing the school's five-year total to nearly $30,000 — a sign that student momentum, after dipping in middle years, is climbing again.
- Fellows from Mexico, India, Australia, and South Africa train at BC Children's Hospital under this program, with at least one — originally from Namibia — choosing to stay on as a full-time physician rather than return home.
- Key Club president Aiden Marks and Grade 12 student Dominic Benoit, whose family has been touched by cancer, reflect the dual engine driving the effort: community cohesion and deeply personal stakes.
- Program leader Darlene Smith, after sixteen years, holds a clear-eyed hope — that one day this fundraising will be unnecessary because the disease itself will be gone.
On a Thursday afternoon in late April, the gymnasium at NorKam Secondary filled with spinning bikes and student effort. The school's annual 'Ride for Cancer' event closed with just over $5,400 raised — a modest figure that, placed alongside four previous years of similar commitment, becomes part of a nearly $30,000 contribution to childhood cancer research since 2022.
That money flows into the Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program, which sponsors fellowships for doctors training in pediatric oncology at BC Children's Hospital. The fellows arrive from Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa — elite physicians deepening their expertise in treating childhood cancer. Each fellowship costs roughly $90,000 annually to support, and the program has felt the strain of declining donations, dropping from $75,000 to $50,000 per year. Darlene Smith, who has led the program for sixteen years, is clear about what that gap means: community fundraising is no longer supplementary — it is essential.
Behind the numbers are students with real reasons to pedal. Key Club president Aiden Marks described the event as one of the few things that pulls teenagers out of their separate social orbits and into shared purpose. Dominic Benoit, a Grade 12 student whose family has known cancer firsthand, spoke of the meaning that comes from standing alongside others who feel the same urgency.
The fundraiser's history follows a familiar arc — a strong opening year at $8,700, a dip in the years that followed, and now a recovery. This year's numbers suggest the students are rebuilding their momentum.
As for the fellows themselves, their paths diverge after training. Some return home to waiting positions; others stay. One fellow from Namibia, Smith noted, gave up a job offer at home and now works full-time at BC Children's. Smith's hope, after sixteen years, is simple and large: that one day, the disease will be conquered and the fundraising will no longer be needed. Until then, students at NorKam will keep showing up — pedalling toward doctors they'll never meet, and children they'll never know.
On a Thursday afternoon in late April, the gymnasium at NorKam Secondary filled with the sound of spinning pedals and the steady hum of stationary bikes. Students were working through their 'Ride for Cancer' event, part of a five-year commitment to fund childhood cancer research at BC Children's Hospital. By the end of the day, they had raised just over $5,400—a number that, while modest on its own, represented something larger: a continuation of a promise that began in 2022.
When you add up what these high school students have accomplished since then, the picture becomes clearer. Nearly $30,000 has flowed from NorKam into the Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program, which uses the money to sponsor fellowships for doctors training in pediatric oncology. These are not ordinary physicians. They come from places like Mexico City, India, Australia, and South Africa—elite researchers drawn to BC Children's Hospital to deepen their expertise in treating childhood cancer. The program covers roughly $90,000 annually per fellow's training costs, though funding constraints have tightened the support in recent years. Darlene Smith, who has led the Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program for sixteen years, explained that donations have dropped from $75,000 yearly to $50,000, a gap that makes community fundraising efforts like NorKam's increasingly vital.
What makes this story worth attention is not just the money, but the people behind it. Aiden Marks, the Key Club president at NorKam, spoke about why the event matters beyond the dollars raised. High school students, he noted, often drift apart into separate circles. An event like this one—accessible, physical, communal—creates a rare opportunity for teenagers to work toward something together. Dominic Benoit, a Grade 12 student, carried a more personal motivation. Cancer had touched his family, making the cause feel urgent and real rather than abstract. He described the value of standing alongside other young people who shared that same sense of purpose, of being part of something larger than themselves.
The trajectory of these fundraisers tells its own story. The first event, held five years ago, was their most successful, bringing in over $8,700. The numbers dipped in the years that followed—a common pattern in sustained community efforts, where initial enthusiasm can fade. But this year's event suggests a reversal. The students are pedalling back upward, rebuilding momentum.
What happens to these international fellows after they complete their training at BC Children's Hospital varies. Some return home with job offers already waiting. One fellow from Namibia, according to Smith, had secured a position back home but ultimately gave it up. He remains at BC Children's Hospital full-time now, part of what Smith calls the hospital's collection of elite physicians. Others may stay if space permits; some will carry their training back to their home countries, spreading the knowledge they've gained.
Smith's reflection after sixteen years in this role carries weight. She expressed hope that one day, fundraising for childhood cancer research will no longer be necessary—that the disease itself will be conquered. Until that moment arrives, the work continues. At NorKam Secondary, students will keep showing up, keep pedalling, keep raising money for doctors they'll never meet, researching cures for children they don't know. It's a form of faith, really: the belief that effort compounds, that community matters, and that young people have something essential to contribute to the world's harder problems.
Notable Quotes
I've had some family members with cancer in the past so it's a very close-to-heart issue for me. Being together as community, I found that was very important for me.— Dominic Benoit, Grade 12 student
I just hope that one day we won't have to raise funds for kids cancer, that it'll be gone.— Darlene Smith, Kiwanis Children's Cancer Program president
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a high school fundraiser matter enough to track over five years?
Because it's not really about one event. It's about whether young people will stay committed to something that doesn't directly affect them. Most teenagers could ignore childhood cancer entirely. These ones chose not to.
But $30,000 is a small amount in the context of medical research. Does it actually move the needle?
It funds fellowships. That's not abstract—it's paying for a specific doctor from Mexico City to train at BC Children's right now. Without that money, that fellowship doesn't exist. The research doesn't happen the same way.
The first fundraiser raised $8,700 and then the numbers dropped. Why would students stick with something that was losing momentum?
Because some of them had family members with cancer. Because they found community in the work. Aiden Marks said something important: teenagers separate themselves into fragments. This event pulls them back together. That's worth doing even if the money dips.
What happens to these doctors after they train? Do they stay in Canada?
Some do, some don't. The one from Namibia was supposed to leave but didn't. Others go home and take what they learned back to their countries. Either way, the research spreads. That's the point.
Darlene Smith has been doing this for sixteen years. What keeps her going?
She said she hopes one day they won't need to raise money for this anymore because childhood cancer will be gone. That's not cynicism. That's someone who understands the work is temporary, but necessary. And she sees young people stepping in to help carry it.