The Douglas Wright Foundation is a charitable organization devoted to fighting melanoma cancer in Canada by increasing awareness, educating the public about early detection and preventative measures, and fostering partnerships between likeminded organizations.
ECLIPSE MELANOMA PARTY
We are excited to announce the return of the Douglas Wright Foundation's Eclipse Melanoma Party!
Please join us on the evening of Thursday, September 21st at the RCYC Island Club to raise money for the fight against melanoma and to honour our great friend Douglas Wright. We look forward to another beautiful night on the Island that will include a BBQ dinner, open bar, live music featuring The Practically Hip (a legendary cover band) and a silent auction. Tickets are on sale now! Buy yours before July 30th and you will be eligible for the door prize raffle.
We look forward to seeing you at the Eclipse Melanoma Party. To purchase tickets please click HERE.
#BeSunSafe Skin Cancer Prevention is Back! (Summer 2023)
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our #BeSunSafe sunscreen dispenser program for Summer 2023, in partnership with the City of Toronto, the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and Shoppers Drug Mart.
The #BeSunSafe program aims to help prevent skin cancer by providing park users sunscreen and an opportunity to take a break in the shade to people enjoying some of Toronto’s parks. Protecting skin from the sun is the best way to prevent skin cancer.
#BeSunSafe touchless sunscreen dispensers are now available at 65 waterfront park locations, from Marie Curtis Park in the west to Bluffers Park in the east and High Park, the City’s largest park.
A map with the dispensers’ location and information about skin cancer and sun safety tips is on the #BeSunSafe website.
Since the #BeSunSafe program began in 2017, the sunscreen dispensers have been used more than one million times, dispensing more than 1,000 litres of sunscreen. Since 2020, the #BeSunSafe program has donated 150 canopy tents to provide critical shade to those participating in City camp programming. The #BeSunSafe program is the recipient of the 2018 and 2019 Canadian Dermatology Association’s Public Education Awards.
Thank you once again for your continued support, which makes initiatives like #BeSunSafe possible.
Dear Friends of the Douglas Wright Foundation,
Today, July 6th, would have been Doug’s 40th birthday. 2021 also marks the 10th anniversary of the Douglas Wright Foundation.
As we are unable to host our Eclipse Melanoma Party this year and celebrate these important dates together, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you a video tribute to Dougie. The video below highlights our shared love for Doug and some of the Foundation’s impacts in the fight against melanoma, all of which are in his name and spirit.
Please enjoy the video and “like” and “share” on your social media.
We thank you all for your continued support. Please remember that without our annual event we rely on you, our donors, to continue to help us fund our exceptional programs. Please click HERE to donate.
#BeSunSafe Sunscreen Program Expands (Summer 2021)
We are thrilled to announce that The City of Toronto, Douglas Wright Foundation and the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, in partnership with our new sponsor, Shoppers Drug Mart, are collaborating once again to provide free sunscreen through touchless dispensers at select park and trail locations along the Toronto waterfront.
The #BeSunSafe sunscreen dispensers will be available at 75 locations in City parks along the waterfront, from Marie Curtis Park in the West to Bluffers Park in the East, starting in late June.
The purpose of the #BeSunSafe program is to prevent skin cancer by raising awareness of the importance of sun protection.
The #BeSunSafe sunscreen program was piloted in Toronto parks in 2017. Expanded programs in 2018 and 2019 protected over 250,000 Torontonians. The sunscreen program was suspended in 2020 due to uncertainties in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, in 2020, the foundations and Shoppers Drug Mart donated 100 #BeSunSafe shade tents to the City to support Community Recreation camp programs. Another 25 shade tents will be donated to the City in 2021 for Community Recreation purposes. The #BeSunSafe program is the recipient of the 2018 and 2019 Canadian Dermatology Association’s Public Education Awards.
The #BeSunSafe program website includes information about skin cancer, sun safety tips and a map showing the location of the dispensers.
For more information on this initiative please visit BeSunSafe.ca.
Sunscreen Dispenser Program Update (2018)
With your generous assistance, the Douglas Wright Foundation in partnership with the our friends at the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, is proud to update our supporters with details of our highly successful #BeSunSafe initiative during the summer of 2018.
Highlights of the program thus far include:
Sunscreen dispensers available in 50 locations along the Toronto waterfront (click HERE for details)
Four mobile sunscreen dispensers utilized by Toronto Public Health and Parks and Recreation at various festivals during the summer months
101 TTC shelter advertisements and posters in all Toronto Public Libraries - funded by the City of Toronto
Significant media coverage at launch and throughout the summer months, including:
City of Toronto (press release)
CTV Toronto News (video)
CBC Metro Morning (radio)
Toronto Star (print)
Weather Network (video)
Winner of the Canadian Dermatology's 2018 Public Education Award
We look forward to announcing new initiatives related to #BeSunSafe in the coming weeks. Thank you again for your support!
Sunscreen Dispenser Program Expansion (Summer 2018)
On Melanoma Monday, we are thrilled to announce the expansion of our award winning partnership with the City of Toronto and David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, which provides free sunscreen in select parks along the City of Toronto waterfront.
"Our waterfront parks are well-loved and well-used by Torontonians and visitors alike," said Mayor John Tory. "With the success of the pilot and expansion of this program, it’s great to see that so many will be able to enjoy our common grounds with easy access to sun safety."
Our sunscreen dispensers will now be available in fifty locations along the Toronto waterfront this summer, spanning nearly 50 kilometres from Marie Curtis Park to Rouge Beach. You may read the full press release by clicking here.
We are so incredibly thankful for all of your support, which has been integral in making this project possible. We strongly believe that sunscreen should be available throughout the city, at no cost to the public during the warm weather seasons. Our generous supporters have helped make this vision a reality, and we are optimistic about further expansion of this program in the future.
#BeSunSafe 2017
We were thrilled to partner with the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the City of Toronto on a pilot project to provide free sunscreen in select city parks. The pilot project launched on August 2, 2017 with six sunscreen dispensers in five parks: Kew Gardens Park, Sherbourne Common, Harbour Square Park, HTO Park and Little Norway Park. We were excited to help Torontonians #besunsafe! Please visit www.besunsafe.ca for more information about this exciting initiative.
6TH ANNUAL ECLIPSE MELANOMA PARTY
The Douglas Wright Foundation’s Eclipse Melanoma Party was held on Friday, June 2nd, 2017 at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. The event featured a silent auction, barbecue dinner, open bar and another beautiful night on the island with family and friends.
This event marked our foundation's 6th year, and provided an opportunity to update our valued donors and friends on all of our exciting projects and activities.
CROSSING FOR A CAUSE: A HUGE SUCCESS
Michael exiting lake ontario after a successful crossing. photo by laura lanktree.
Just over six months ago Michael McIsaac stepped out of the cold waters by Marilyn Bell Park, successfully completing a fifty-one kilometre marathon swim across Lake Ontario. Michael completed the swim in twenty two hours and twenty two minutes, becoming the 61st person in history to achieve this accomplishment. In this effort, Crossing for a Cause raised over $140,000 for the Douglas Wright Foundation and, as importantly, successfully promoted awareness in our community of the grave dangers of melanoma and the importance of practicing sun safety.
Michael and his crew of thirty commenced their grueling journey from Niagara-on-the-Lake on August 22nd at 12:18 am. Starting and finishing the swim in complete darkness, Michael had to endure choppy waters, cold temperatures and a nagging shoulder injury.
Although we cannot fully capture the experience that was Crossing for a Cause, the Foundation was truly lucky to have as part of the crew Laura Lanktree, an accomplished documentary filmmaker and founder of LLChemy.
We are excited to give you access to Laura’s short documentary about Crossing for a Cause, which is now available for viewing below, or by clicking here.
Please also visit the Crossing for a Cause website for news clips capturing Michael training and the swim.
We would like to once again thank all of our donors, and in particular our kilometer sponsors who are listed on the website. Crossing for a Cause would not have been a success without your support, donations and continuous encouragement. We thank you for your support and for helping us make Crossing for a Cause a lifetime achievement.
Most importantly, we are so incredibly proud of Michael McIsaac for completing this monumental challenge, and cannot thank him enough for his decision to support our cause. Congratulations Michael, and thank you so much.
#NewFamilyRule
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new video campaign! May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Let's make sun protection a #newfamilyrule!
See below to view the video, and please visit our campaign website at www.newfamilyrule.com.
Crossing for a Cause
Please support Michael McIsaac, as he prepares to attempt a solo swim across Lake Ontario to support the fight against melanoma. Michael has already raised nearly $57,000, with all proceeds being donated to the Douglas Wright Foundation. We are incredibly honoured to have Michael's confidence and support.
You will find additional details about this incredible initiative at Crossing for a Cause. You may also join Michael on his Facebook page. Please also visit our News Page for additional updates.
Doug lived life with enthusiasm, sharing his boundless energy with everyone around him. He brought us together, and we are better for it. Our mission, inspired by Doug, is that if we work together we can put an end to melanoma.