We learned three things in 2011: One, we have an incredible survivorship program that rebuilds and transforms lives after cancer. Two -- It takes way more work than you'd ever think to make it happen. And three -- It costs even more money and resources to not only make it happen... but to keep it going. We want to keep this program going.

We're building a program that not only rebuilds lives; it is altering the way doctors and the medical community look at, and speak to, "survivorship." Most often, being a "cancer survivor" as a young adult implies getting back to life and being grateful for being alive, when in actuality, surviving cancer comes with some serious challenges -- insurance battles, family and relationship challenges, financial struggles, body issues, sex and fertility barriers, and more.

The A4C Survivorship Program brings survivors together in a fun, active, and safe setting for facing and embracing challenges, and connecting with other survivors while finding a common ground on the path to rebuilding life after cancer. Want to learn more about the program? Go to Programs to learn more and apply. Or, see how far your dollar goes when giving the gift of impact to someone:

If you would like to make an impact on this program, we suggest you DONATE now or join to become a member of Athletes for Cancer. As a member and Advocate Athlete, you receive a free t-shirt, sticker, monthly news, and notices of opportunities to volunteer and participate in upcoming events. Seriously, it's really fun being involved!

These camps are designed to empower young adults to face new challenges, overcome fears and obstacles, and embrace life after cancer so you can get to living! Are you a cancer survivor and would like to attend? Heck ya you do! Our first camp is Surf & Standup Paddling on the beautiful garden isle of Maui, Hawaii April 8-14th! Check out the complete schedule and application information.

... a multi-day, multi-sport event all raising money for various cancer advocacy, prevention, and survivorship programs in the battle to find a cure.

This year's event will consist of kiteboarding, standup paddling, skateboarding, and kayaking.

July 8-9: Standup Paddle 4 Cancer (City of Hood River's Waterfront Park)

July 9-10: Kiteboarding 4 Cancer (Port of Hood River's Waterfront Event Site)

July 9-10: Skate 4 Cancer (Port of Hood River Event Site parking lot)

July 10: Kayak 4 Cancer (Northwestern Lake or Hood River Marina, TBD)

How it works:

1. Athletes raise a minimum amount money through this website, with the ability to recruit their friends and family to the event and the cause.

2. Athletes check-in at the Tenacity Games athlete booth for their selected events.

3. Athletes then take on a unique challenge, enduring to the point of exhaustion, testing their mental and physical tenacity, and embodying the struggle someone going through cancer face every day.

Here's more info...

Athletes 4 Cancer will continue to run our annual fundraising event in the summer that will include the Kiteboarding 4 Cancer, Standup Paddle 4 Cancer, and other action sports events under one event umbrella, all for our and other regional cancer programs that directly benefit
lives affected by cancer.

Athletes 4 Cancer is kicking off our first year of programs with young adult survivorship camps, to be hosted in Hawaii, Oregon, and other locations soon TBA! We are so stoked! These are why we do what we do!!

Athletes 4 Cancer will conduct and support events to help raise funds for our camp program as well as regional cancer programs that we love to support!

As we transition into Athletes 4 Cancer , you'll still see KB4C around. Bear with us -- the name change doesn't happen overnight. And keep in mind that KB4C the event is not going anywhere -- Kiteboarding 4 Cancer will continue to run as the most impactful kiteboarding event in North America.

This was our best Kiteboard 4 Cancer to date! The kiteboarding community has stepped up again in a huge way -- not only to participate in the race and events, but to support this cause and the fabulous local programs that we benefit.

This year was more unique and powerful than in years' past in that there was a strong connection at the event between the athletes and the people and programs they were riding for -- In attendance of the event were survivors, people in treatment, kids in remission, and friends and families going through their own battle with someone they love. Connecting faces and real life experiences to the purpose of this event is very meaningful and powerful for all involved -- athletes, donors, volunteers and the organizers.

I am so proud of the energy, commitment and generosity that kiteboarding has brought to this community -- both locally here in Hood River, and across the Pacific Northwest. Each year I'm blown away by the kiteboarders that travel from all over to be here for this cause and our community.

Kite Derby athletes from as far as New York and Florida battled it out on the river for 6 hours in big swell and variable wind conditions to raise money and awareness for regional cancer programs -- The Next Door Inc. in Hood River, Children's Healing Art Project in Portland, Children's Hospital Seattle, and KB4C's Survivorship Camps.

The KB4C teams highlighted the weekend with a contagious group energy of fun and competitive furvor. Teams had to hand off their one team jersey as a baton, by first landing their kite, swapping the jersey to the next person, then re-launching the kite. In the last hour of the kite derby, KB4C raised the bar for all competitors to go out and kite laps for donors to pledge per lap dollars for all of the combined laps in the final hour. Over $3,000 was raised in the last hour of the kite derby alone from this challenge! Over 400 laps were tallied in the final hour of the kite derby!

Team REAL Wind Ninjas from Hatteras, North Carolina, traveled to compete as a team for those in their families who have, and are, battling cancer. Team Seals from Portland, Oregon, rode for their Team Captain, Derek Seals, who survived germ cell tumors in 2007 and represented at the event to cheer his team on. Team 2nd Wind Sports/Urban Flora rode for Irv Stein and Steve Fisher, two local kiteboarders who have battled cancer in the last two years, plus family members who recently passed from cancer.

in that many artists and photographers find inspiration in the powerful visual of the event: Multi-colored kites soaring, contrasting Gorge cliffs diving into the Columbia River, and the surrounding Cascade peaks hovering in the background.

To our surprise something magical transpired from the scene of that first event and every year since.... the power of healing through the energy of the elements, the conditions, and the overall environment surrounding the event. It goes beyond the event -- the energy of WIND, WAVES, and WATER are powers that can calm, inspire, and transform lives.

While promoting this theme of the powers of nature aiding in the healing process, we felt that artists interpretations could communicate it beautifully. Just as the artists' representations are varied and personal, so is the healing process in battling with cancer.

You can find the KB4C Healing Art Show on display at the following venues throughout the Gorge. Thanks to all the following businesses for their participation in this wonderful cause.

Hood River:
Full Sail Brewing
Providence Hospital
Naked Winery
Andrew's Pizza
US Bank (The Heights)
Doppio Coffee
Columbia Gorge Hotel
Columbia Center for the Arts

White Salmon/Bingen:
Solstice Wood Fire Cafe
Everybody's Brewing

All works are for sale. 40% of the sale of the art supports our Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Camps.

On First Friday July 2nd, we will host an ART PARTY for all ages at the Paris Fair building in Hood River, corner of 4th and Oak Streets. Come enjoy wine, music, and art kicking off the Kiteboard 4 Cancer event and Art Show! More info on the Art Party real soon!!

With a team of professional kiteboarding instructors and experienced watermen and women, we will safely embrace some of the great powers of nature — wind, swell, and water — to overcome physical or psychological limitations as they face life after cancer.

Camps will run for 6 days, and will take place in locations that can accommodate a safe learning environment while offering some variety in recreational and cultural activities. And most of all, make it FUN!

If you are interested in helping us put on these camps, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for locations and accommodations that are on or near the water, maybe a camp or cabins setup, with safe access to the beach. We are open to locations in North America at this time. In addition, we are looking for volunteers for the following positions:

Please submit a volunteer application here!

We are also seeking monetary and service donations. For more information and to get involved, please email tonia@kb4c.org.

Submission Guidelines: “The healing power of wind and water”
The piece(s) should incorporate some aspect of the exhibit theme: “The healing power of wind and water.”

Exhibit dates and location: June 15-July 11, 2010, various venues throughout Hood River.

Art Sale Details:

For additional information contact Kiteboarding 4 Cancer at art@kb4c.org

All funds will benefit our Survivorship Camps for Young Adults with Cancer!

Registration will open April 1, so stay tuned and start training!

One of many ways your donations are working for lives affected by cancer.... The 2008 $24,000 grant by John Wayne Cancer Foundation and Kiteboarding 4 Cancer provided over 600 hours of art and music therapy for child cancer patients in 2009! That is approximately 29 weeks of Art and Music Therapy support for cancer patients at 21 hours per week!

In early 2008, the Child Life program at Children's Hospital Seattle was severly underfunded, and on the verge of staff and program cuts. This is something I found hard to swallow coming from one of the top children's hospitals in the heart of Seattle, with a very active and generous fundraising community. In fact, the Seattle Children's Hospital Guild Association is the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the nation.

Researching about guild funds, I learned that nearly all guilds fund uncompensated care, which allows Chidlren's to care for all children in the region regardless of their families' ability to pay. This is the focus of the guild association's philanthropic efforts as insurance can run out terribly quickly once a child is in a long-term stay situation. Uncompensated Care cares for and saves lives.

With that in mind, we wanted to fund a program that had a direct and tangible impact on the children to help the healing process. Enter: Child Life. Through Therapeutic play, Art therapy, Music Therapy, and Pet Visit Partners, the Child Life program at Children's promotes healing and helps children express feelings and cope with pain. The art and music therapists work with patients at the bedside, as well as in small groups in the playroom. The Pet Partners visit most of the hospital units. Lastly, the Teen Zone offers a sanctuary for teens and their siblings 12 years and older with video games, computers, a foosball table, board games, and arts and crafts.

With the help of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and Kiteboarding 4 Cancer, Child Life has been able to continue providing healing through art and activity. Thank you to all of our wonderful donors who helped make this happen!!

KB4C athletes endured 6-hours of the challenging conditions of big swell and blasting winds, representing the battle that those with cancer endure daily in fighting the disease. The Standup Paddle Race was equally challenging with swell, currents, and head wind for those paddling the 2 hour endurance challenge. New for 2009, the Slider 4 Cancer drew the top local park-style riders to hit the 62-foot box in front of the event site.

Results:

Kite Derby Endurance Race Top Finishers:

“Grom” 24 laps
Alex Bloechinger 24 laps
Cynthia Brown 24 laps
Carl Davidson 23 laps
Tom Dawson 22 laps

Standup Paddle (SUP) Endurance Race Top Finishers:

Craig Bishop 11 laps
Doug Hopkins 10 laps
Ozzie Lenzsch 10 laps
Kent Forrest 9 laps
Victoria Hopkins 8 laps

Slider Top Expression Sessions:

Dylan Thompson
Gene Kishinevsky
Ian Daly
Joby Cook
Chris Trepamber

Top Teams:

1. Team Pro Leisure: Tony Bolstad, Sam Bolstad, Grom, Alex Bloechinger – 86 laps
2. Team 2nd Wind Sports: Pepi Gerald, Anna Webber, Nate Appel, Jason Wynn – 59 laps

Additional events at KB4C included the Live & Silent auctions, All Day Live Music Stage, Full Sail BBQ & Beer Garden, Raffle, Children’s Healing Art Project Tent and Awards party.

The John Wayne Cancer Foundation was instrumental in helping KB4C put on this year’s event. JWCF has supported KB4C since the beginning of the event in 2007, embracing the enthusiasm, health and energy contributions of the action sports community to give in the fight against cancer. The John Wayne Cancer Foundation is matching Kiteboarding 4 Cancer’s donations to our beneficiaries for 2009.

Kiteboarding 4 Cancer has researched many deserved and impactful cancer programs to benefit from donor funding to come up with 4 amazing organizations that drive cancer research, awareness, prevention and treatment programs in the Pacific Northwest and west coast:

• Children’s Healing Art Project – Bringing the healing power of art to kids with cancer -- Portland, OR
• The Next Door Inc. – Breast Cancer Prevention Program – Hood River, OR
• Children’s Hospital of Seattle -- Child Life Program – Seattle, WA
• Celilo Cancer Center -- Uncompensated Care Program --The Dalles, OR

Kiteboarding 4 Cancer was founded by a group of Northwest kiteboarders to unite the kiteboarding unity and those in need for a great cause. Kiteboarding 4 Cancer is dedicated to bringing the healing power of wind and water to those affected by cancer through funding of advocacy, awareness, and prevention programs. KB4C raises funds through our annual Kiteboarding 4 Cancer and Stand-Up Paddle 4 Cancer events in Hood River, Oregon.

Kiteboarding 4 Cancer is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, IRS tax ID #42-1737854. We fund our event and charities solely through tax-deductible contributions from private individuals, corporations and foundations.

KB4C on Facebook : Kiteboarding 4 Cancer
KB4C on Twitter : Kiteboarding 4 Cancer
KB4C Official Website : KB4C.org

We are thrilled to once again have the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and Team Duke join us in partnership to put on Kiteboarding 4 Cancer!!

John Wayne Cancer Foundation is donating a Hawaiian Pro Designs Takayama Ali'i I 11'6 Standup Paddle Board to Kiteboarding 4 Cancer to give away as the top fundraising prize on August 8th!

To register for KB4C and SUP4C, go to our website here and register for a profile page to raise funds for the cause. Only 2 weeks left to the event!

JWCF is a strong supporter of the athletic community’s determination and passion to give to this cause, and we are thrilled to have them on our team. The mission of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation is to bring courage, strength, and grit to the fight against cancer. To be a part of the team, go to Team Duke!

Get your profile up on KB4C today so you can raise money for the cause and go for the Standup Paddle Board!

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, you don’t choose treatment option A or B, then sit and wait for results. No, you take control and throw everything you have at the disease… You find outstanding cancer specialists with access to the most advanced treatment options available, and you say, that’s good for starters. When you are a cancer patient, you face the biggest challenge of your life and hope that you have the best people working to save your life.

At Celilo, cancer patients have access to comprehensive chemotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) -- the most precise and sophisticated radiation treatment system in the world. All this, combined with an array of integrated therapies to treat the whole person -- mind, body and spirit -- is why Kiteboarding 4 Cancer selected Celilo as a beneficiary three years in a row.

Kiteboarding 4 Cancer, with the matched donation from the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, donated $24,000 to Celilo for uncompensated care and quality of life services to men and women ranging in ages 30 to 89.

Over 400 cancer patients were treated with the KB4C and JWCF funds in 2009 -- most with cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, esophageal, rectal and colon. The services given included medication, acupuncture, gas cards to get to and from Celilo, massages and food.

The funds also supported their new Reflections program which provides wigs, scarves, hats, sleep caps and make-overs to help women adjust to the changes in skin and hair from chemotherapy and radiology. The Reflections program not only treats women physically, but psychologically, boosting self-confidence, pride, self-awareness, and the feeling of being beautiful again.

Interested in being an athlete in KB4C? Create your profile page and register for the event here! More details on the event will be posted soon!

Want to create a team of 4 for the Endurance Race? Teams must raise $500 collectively, but still register on KB4C.org with individual profiles. Do it here!

Want to sponsor KB4C? We are accepting sponsorship requests and donations for the silent auction, live auction, raffle, and event prizes. To get in front of a progressive and enthusiastic action sport crowd, email tonia @ kb4c.org.

I sat down with Aaron and gave him as much inspiration and information as I could spill out while being deep in our event. It was great timing. I only wish I could have been there for his event in February! It was a huge success!

Blue skies, sunshine and sub-zero temperatures greeted 51 kiteboarders who signed up for the first-ever Taylor Volkswagen Kiteboarding 4 Cancer winter event this weekend in Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada.

Competition was delayed due to lack of wind, but that didn’t stop kiters from gathering in support of the event.

“If we get wind you will see 50 kites up and running,’’ said event organizer Aaron Hackel.

Kiteboarders traveled from Western Canada and as far away as Switzerland, to show off their skills and raise more than $25,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Calling himself the “poster boy for cancer,’’ Billy Bentley provided fellow kiters with living proof that advances in cancer research can make a difference in a person’s life.

“I wanted to be part of this event to raise awareness and help raise some money to help get rid of this disease,’’ Bentley said. “You want to raise awareness and show people that: hey somebody can survive this and get through it, move on and enjoy life.”

Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, Bentley underwent a lifesaving stem cell transplant on Nov. 20, 2007 in Seattle, Wash.

Winnipeger Brian Beveridge said he was drawn to the event as much by the love of the sport as by the opportunity it provided to honor fellow Winnipeger Jim Welsh, a friend and fellow kiter who died from brain cancer last year.