What generous donors have helped us do:

Since 2017, over $315,000.00 has been donated in memory of Matteo (see our Terry Fox Matching Campaign and Award pages as well).

Here are the details of our past events and where your money has gone:

2017

The inaugural Starry Night Fundraiser was held on Saturday, November 4th, 2017 in honor and remembrance of our brave little boy. The event was held at Craft Cellars and consisted of a wine tasting and a silent auction. The $51,754.47 that was raised for this event went to the purchase of a point of-care ultrasound (POCUS). POCUS is utilized at the bedside to quickly and accurately diagnose what is causing a symptom in order to offer the best care management possible. For many children and families in palliative care, going to the hospital for an X-ray or Ultrasound is contrary to their hopes to have as much time as they can together in the comfort of their own home or in a hospice. Like the stethoscope, portable ultrasound is a tool that increases the doctor’s diagnostic confidence and could make big differences to treatment decisions, and therefore to symptom control. The machine was donated to the Rotary Flames House, a palliative care facility for children that offers end of life care in a home-like setting, and the facility that Matteo spent his final few weeks. It was because of the hard work and generosity of our donors that the Matteo Shafer Legacy Fund could help these children and families on this difficult journey.

2018

On October 20th, 2018 we hosted our second annual fundraiser at the Gerry Thomas Art Gallery. Included in the evening was wine, craft beer and spirit tastings, delicious food from Mercato and a silent auction including many wonderful donated items at the

Why we did it:

Over the past several decades, while there have been many advancements in the fight against pediatric cancer it is still the leading cause of death due to disease in children.

40 years ago, 80% of children diagnosed with cancer died. Today, thanks to ongoing research 80% live. However, survival often comes at a very high price. 60% of survivors suffer one or more side effects later in life, many of which are severe or life-threatening.

That means for every 100 children diagnosed with cancer:

- 20 will not survive

- 48 will have lasting side effects

- 100 will suffer, along with their families.

One child dying is one too many. We can’t just hope that this won’t happen to someone else. We have to do something. THANKS TO YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT, $38, 768.00 WAS RAISED!!!!! All proceeds for this event went to The Childhood Cancer Research Program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital to build on advancements in fighting this disease.

2020

On February 29th, 2020, The Starry Night Whisky and Wine Festival was held at The Pioneer on 8th. Thanks to your generous support, $50,266. was raised for the Rotary Flames House!!!! This was one of our most successful fundraisers to date! The money raised was used to purchase much needed new beds for the children who are in their care and a new washing machine and dryer. On behalf of Kent, Domenic, myself and the families that you have helped:

2021

On November 26th, 27th, and 28th, Craft Cellars sponsored The Starry Night Virtual Whisky Festival. 6 different tastings were available to experience in the comfort of your own home. Although it was sad that we could not see everyone physically, the virtual experience allowed the opportunity to actually have a successful fundraiser during Covid and to give families hope in the fight against childhood cancer.

Brain cancers, relapsed leukemias and cancers that start in the bone or soft tissue account for 60-70% of all childhood cancers. They are also the highest cause of death for young people facing a cancer battle. A multidisciplinary group of experts at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute is joining forces with colleagues from the Charbonneau Cancer Institute to tackle these deadly cancers and find desperately needed new cures for these children and teens. Building on proven and diverse research strength in Calgary, the Alberta Cellular Therapy and Immune Oncology Initiative (ACTION) team will focus on developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies – a new form of cancer treatment that harnesses the child’s own immune system to tackle their particular cancer. Since this approach uses the body’s own resources, the toxic effects of chemotherapy are eliminated and a cure can be realized without the long-term and often devastating impact of current treatments. This year's fundraising focus supported the Alberta Cellular Therapy and Immune Oncology Initiative. Thanks to your support $40,000 was raised!

2022/2023

In November 2022, Craft Cellars once again sponsored The Starry Night Virtual Whisky Festival where tastings were available to experience in the comfort of participants’ own home.

On March 4, 2023 we were back in-person!!! What a great night of tasting incredible wine, whisky and spirits, delicious hors d’oeuvres and desserts, and incredible music. Thanks to the support of our generous community, a combined total of $65,840.00 was raised!!!!

All of the money for the event was donated to the Alberta Children’s Hospital’s PHOENIX project.

2024

On March 17, 2024, our 7th Annual Starry Night Whisky and Wine Festival was held at The Brownstone. This year’s goal was to raise $53,000.00 to buy a specialized couch top for pediatric cancer patients receiving radiation. The specialized couch top (overlay) would allow for the implementation of a state-of-the-art Total-Body-Irradiation (TBI) technique. The couch top is designed for TBI and rotates to enable a single patient set-up (instead of delivering half the treatment and requiring the patient to flip from prone to supine and be re-immobilized), allowing for isocentric TBI treatment planning and delivery. This specialized couch top provides the ability to create more conformal dose distributions, specifically enabling the shielding of organs at risk, while maintaining the crucial radiation to the target that is required for this technique to be successful.

This year’s event was sold out and we surpassed out goal with over $60,000.00 raised!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!