Moving Together for Our Community

“What I love about Workout to Conquer Cancer is it’s collaborative, accessible and inclusive,” shares Kelly Davidson team captain of Kelowna’s Cancer Kickers.

What started as Kelly’s personal team (formerly Kelly’s Cancer Kickers), is now an open invitation to the Kelowna community for two common goals: to get active and raise funds for cancer research. Each year, the team grows steadily – they’re now over 40 strong, more than doubling from 2023.

“Rather than competing in smaller teams, I thought it would be great to have this big team for anyone in Kelowna to join. We’re all working towards a bigger goal of $30,000 that we can all celebrate together.”

Kelly’s commitment to the BC Cancer Foundation is a year-round pursuit. She is the local and provincial chair of BC Cancer Foundation’s Catalyst Ambassadors – a group of young professionals from across the province volunteering their time and skills to bring awareness to the Foundation’s work.

“Cancer is a huge issue, but there are so many great things happening through BC Cancer’s research to celebrate and be hopeful for. I love educating people on the work being done here at BC Cancer – Kelowna. People are always amazed.”

With BC Cancer Foundation donor support, BC Cancer – Kelowna has grown into an internationally recognized hub of innovation. The centre’s achievements are helping improve outcomes for patients in the Okanagan and across the province.

Workout to Conquer Cancer has become a way to connect with her friends and peers to share this important message – and have some fun working out at the same time. Kelly’s also passionate about raising awareness for the disease among young people, who often think of themselves as “invincible.”

“Everybody knows someone who has suffered from cancer, who they’ve lost to cancer and there are many of  us who will face it ourselves. We all have a reason to fundraise for the Foundation.”

To add a friendly, competitive element, Kelly created the ‘Flex It Friday’ challenge for her colleagues-turned-recruits from Odlum Brown. The Odlum Brown participants have a physical competition – it could be plank or push up challenge. One year they raced up the stairs to their 15^th floor office.

This year, they’re doing a balance challenge, which is something Kelly gained a new appreciation for after an Achilles tendon injury two weeks before Workout 2023.

“I ruptured my Achilles right before Workout and was really limited in my movements. Workout ended up being great for my mental health. I was finding ways to move my body, get outside and connect with others despite my horrible injury.”

Kelly is proud of how her community steps up to the challenge each year and is proud to see the momentum growing.

“It’s exciting to feel you’re really part of the change happening at BC Cancer. The beauty of Workout is anyone can do it, every dollar raised makes an impact and together we’re making a difference.