Original story:
When Vanessa Warren was in high school, she did a co-op placement with a local pediatrician. In the course of her work there, she met many children with cancer.
“One of them had a brain tumour,” Warren said. “It was inoperable. He wasn't going to make it, yet he was the most upbeat, positive, smiling kid. I had to walk out of the room and cry.”
Her time at the pediatrician's office had a profound impact on her life. The 18-year-old Sudbury native is now in her first year of nursing at Laurentian University, and upon graduation, hopes to work with children with cancer.
Last September, Warren was awarded the title of Miss Greater Sudbury, and will be representing the city in May at the Miss North Ontario Regional Canada Pageant.
It seemed like fate when she found out that the Miss North Ontario pageant's charity of choice is the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer (NOFCC).
Over the years, the pageant has raised $130,000 for the organization, which is dedicated to providing financial support to families of children with cancer.
While pageant contestants only have to raise a minimum of $100 for NOFCC, Warren has set her sights on a much bigger goal.
She hopes to raise $10,000 through an April 25 fundraiser called Cocktails for Cancer that she's organized with the help of family and friends.
The event, which takes place starting at 7 p.m. at Respect Is Burning Supperclub on Durham Street, features not only cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, but a silent auction and entertainment by musician Andrew Hyatt. Local comedian Shawn McLaren will be the emcee for the evening.
Tickets to the event, which cost $45 each, are available by contacting Warren at 705-626-5321 or [email protected] or the NOFCC at 705-586-3229 or [email protected].
