Stronger Together: Community and Collaboration Shine at This Year’s Défi Canderel

On May 8, 2025, the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) proudly joined hundreds of participants at Montréal’s Percival Molson Stadium for the 36th annual Défi Canderel, a dynamic fundraiser in support of cancer research. The event featured a spirited mix of activities, including a fun run, wellness challenges, and inspirational speeches, and brought together a community of donors, researchers, and advocates committed to changing the future for people affected by cancer.

The Défi Canderel continues to make an extraordinary impact, having raised over $28 million since its inception in 1989, including 3 million in 2024. These funds benefit both the GCI and the Institut du cancer de Montréal, empowering local research institutions to pursue bold discoveries and innovative approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Collaboration is essential to accelerating progress in cancer research. “No single lab, institute, or idea can solve this alone. It’s through partnerships that we advance science and deliver meaningful impact,” said Peter Siegel, PhD.

One of the unique strengths of the Défi Canderel campaign is its philosophy of unrestricted giving. This allows researchers the flexibility to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects and act quickly on promising new ideas, initiatives that are often difficult to support through traditional funding mechanisms. These “no-strings-attached” investments frequently serve as a springboard for transformational breakthroughs.

The event also highlighted GCI’s commitment to training the next generation of cancer scientists. As Leigh Dickson, Student Affairs Officer at the GCI, noted:

“Canderel studentships allow us to offer competitive funding to trainees regardless of nationality, attracting top talent from around the world. These awards have a strong return on investment, recipients go on to secure competitive research grants, publish impactful findings, and represent the GCI on international stages.”

Several achievements were also celebrated. GCI trainee Hailey Dall Proud received the Marilyn Wener Excellence Award for her outstanding dedication to cancer research and community engagement and The GCI team surpassed its own fundraising goal, raising over $4,000 for cancer research!

Sincere thanks go to the Goodman Cancer Student Society fundraising coordinators, Andia Moshari and Paulina Varela Castillo; organizing committee members Philippe Hutton, Mariam Ali, and Leigh Dickson; and the many dedicated volunteers whose commitment made the day a resounding success.

The energy, optimism, and sense of purpose on display at the 2025 Défi Canderel were truly inspiring. As participants walked, ran, and rallied together, they did more than cross a finish line, they helped power the science, talent, and innovation needed to bring us closer to the #knowledgetocure.