A Brief History of the Cancer DriveLine Society
The Cancer DriveLine Society (CDLS) was founded through the dedication and vision of Simon Harvey, following the decision in 2015 by the Canadian Cancer Society to discontinue their transportation program in British Columbia due to financial constraints.
At the time, Simon was serving on the board of a retirement home in James Bay, where he enlisted fellow board member, Judith Cameron, to help launch the new initiative. Judith not only provided the initial funding needed to get CDLS off the ground, but also took on the role of Vice President and Fundraising Coordinator. Her efforts in securing financial support from various sources were instrumental to the organization's early success.
Several others played key roles in establishing CDLS, including Don Wong, Vicky Bates, and Nela Olivera-Griffiths. Nela and Simon worked together to develop the dispatch software that became central to our operations.
When CDLS moved into its first office space on Douglas Street, a generous $10,000 cheque from Ernie Skinner of the Market on Yates was waiting for us — providing the vital seed money that helped officially launch our services.