Updated February 4th, 2020
Every 12 hours in Montreal an adolescent or young adult learns that they have cancer. VOBOC is a charitable community group that reaches out to those victims of cancer from 13 to 39 years old with a mission to improve the experiences and outcomes of these youth in our community.
Pro-Tam, a West Island packaging firm was touched by cancer and joined forces with VOBOC to give back.
Back in 2016, we interviewed Tammy Hebert, owner of Pro-Tam, her firm and its employees have had firsthand experience with VOBOC and its positive effect on the community and wanted to contribute to VOBOC in a meaningful way.
“The Pro-Tam team wanted to help raise awareness for VOBOC a charity dedicated to serving adolescents and young adults (AYA) that have been living with cancer,” Hebert explained. “AYAs are the cancer group that VOBOC has been dedicated to serving for the past 15 years.”
Pro-Tam signed up for the VOBOC Employee Engagement Program which offers a team activity in which employees help VOBOC pack Vo-Paks for delivery to newly diagnosed AYAs on their first day of cancer treatment.
Each Vo-Pak is filled with the tools, resources and practical items that AYAs need as they undergo cancer treatment. Included in the VO-PAK is a comfort kit and a Venturing out kit. The comfort kit provides everything a young person needs for an overnight hospital stay. Pyjamas, slippers, blanket, water bottle, T-shirt and of course the VOBOC mascot lion stuffed animal symbolizing courage.
Vo-Paks are delivered to the Lakeshore General Hospital and to McGill University affiliated hospitals in Montreal and are a gift given by the oncology team as they greet their young patients on their first day of cancer treatment.