Cassie and Friends: A Society for Children with Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases

What Cassie and Friends: A Society for Children with Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases does

Cassie and Friends Society is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization founded in 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is the only charity in Canada 100% dedicated to children, youth, and families affected by juvenile arthritis and other pediatric rheumatic diseases. The organization operates through four program pillars — research, education, connection, and support — and delivers a suite of free services including the ClassRheum Resource Hub, a private Facebook-based online support network, a youth mentorship program trained through SickKids' iPeer2Peer curriculum, a Parent-to-Parent Support Program at BC Children's Hospital, Family Day conferences, Run/Walk fundraising events across 8+ Canadian cities, a School Toolkit and touring puppet show, injection support resources, scholarships, and multiple research initiatives (CREW Network, PAVE, JIA-PaCER, Remote Communities Project). Since inception the organization has raised over $3.2 million CAD, directed $1.76 million into research, contributed more than $400,000 toward establishing the Ross Petty Research Chair in Pediatric Rheumatology at UBC and BC Children's Hospital, and is active in every Canadian province and territory.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; program delivery and community engagement rely on standard tools (Facebook Groups, Google Forms, Canva, Zoom, Mailchimp, Squarespace) combined with in-person events and the iPeer2Peer mentorship framework licensed from SickKids. Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving: individual one-time and monthly donations, community-organized fundraisers (Run/Walks, bottle drives, Facebook birthday fundraisers, school events), corporate and foundation grants, and legacy/planned giving through the Legacy Circle. There are no paid products or services. With approximately 12 staff and 200+ volunteers, the organization partners with all pediatric rheumatology clinics across Canada and with research institutions including UBC, SickKids, BC Children's Hospital, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and CAPRI.

Leadership is anchored by founder David Porte (Board Chair) and the first Executive Director Jennifer Wilson (joined 2013), with a board composed of parents of affected children, medical advisors (Dr. Lori Tucker, Dr. Deborah Levy), and business leaders. Recent strategic activity — including the 2025 launch of the #KidsCantWait national awareness campaign, expansion of senior fundraising hires, and continued geographic and programmatic scaling — indicates ongoing investment in broadening reach and institutional revenue capacity.

Name

Cassie and Friends: A Society for Children with Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases

Legal name

Cassie and Friends Society

Website

https://cassieandfriends.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cassie and Friends Society is a Canadian non-profit charity founded in 2007, dedicated to children and families affected by juvenile arthritis and other pediatric rheumatic diseases through research, education, connection, and support programs delivered across all provinces and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Patient Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK)

Keywords

• Pediatric rheumatology support
• Juvenile arthritis resources
• Patient community network
• Youth mentorship programs
• Charitable fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Monthly Giving: Individual Canadians make one-time or recurring (monthly) donations. Monthly donors provide financial stability. Donations can be made online directly via the website or through CanadaHelps. Pre-authorization forms allow bank-account-based recurring contributions.
2. Event-Based Fundraising (Run/Walks, Family Days): Participants raise funds through Team Cassie + Friends Run/Walk events in cities across Canada. Individual fundraisers create personal pages, and volunteers organize runs and awareness events. The organization also receives fundraising proceeds from community-organized events.
3. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Sponsors and foundations provide funding for specific programs and events. The organization has received grants and sponsorships for the Future Leaders Program and other initiatives.
4. Legacy / Planned Giving: The Legacy Circle accepts bequests and estate planning gifts, providing a long-term sustainable revenue stream from committed donors.
5. Community-Organized Fundraisers: Community members organize independent fundraisers such as bottle drives (Crush JA), Facebook birthday fundraisers, bake sales, school fundraisers, and other DIY events, with proceeds directed to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cassie and Friends is a Canadian charitable organization that delivers free support programs, educational resources, and community connections for children and families affected by juvenile arthritis and other pediatric rheumatic diseases. Its offerings include a private online parent support network, youth mentorship and leadership programs, the ClassRheum educational resource hub, national Run/Walk fundraising events, school inclusion toolkits, and research funding partnerships with Canadian pediatric rheumatology clinics.

Product overview

Cassie and Friends is a non-profit charitable organization (not a technology company) providing a suite of support programs and educational resources for children with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. The core offerings include the ClassRheum Resource Hub (online educational materials), Online Parent Support Network (Facebook-based community), Youth Mentorship Program (peer support), Youth Leader Network (advocacy and leadership), Team C+F Run/Walk fundraising events, School Toolkit (educational resources), Injection Support resources, Family Day conferences, and various research programs (CREW Network, PAVE, JIA-PaCER). The organization serves as Canada's only charity 100% dedicated to the pediatric rheumatic disease community, operating across all provinces and territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ClassRheum Resource Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.2M+ raised since 2007 for kids and families with rheumatic diseases
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.

• BC Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBC Children's Hospital is Cassie + Friends' primary research and program partner. The organization contributed over $400,000 to establish the Ross Petty Research Chair in Pediatric Rheumatology at BC Children's Hospital and UBC — the first such chair in Western Canada. The hospital is also the site of the Parent-to-Parent Support Program and the home base for several medical advisory board members.
• University of British Columbia (UBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBC is a key research partner through the Ross Petty Research Chair in Pediatric Rheumatology and collaborative research initiatives. Dr. Lori Tucker is a Clinical Professor at UBC's Department of Pediatrics and is on the Cassie + Friends Board.
• Michael Smith Foundation for Health ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCassie + Friends helped fund a prestigious five-year Scholar Award with the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research to Dr. Kelly Brown of BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. This is a core research funding partnership.
• SickKids Hospital (The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSickKids is a major pediatric rheumatology partner. The organization contributed to research chair funding and works with SickKids on youth mental health strategy, research (PAVE study), and the iPeer2Peer mentorship training program, which Cassie + Friends uses to train its youth mentors.
• Canadian Alliance of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators (CAPRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCassie + Friends participates as a patient research partner and knowledge mobilizer with CAPRI, a national organization of pediatric rheumatology researchers. Dr. Heinrike Schmeling serves as CAPRI chair. Cassie + Friends has directly funded $1.76M in research as part of this ecosystem.
• Take a Pain Check FoundationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerTake a Pain Check is a complementary youth rheumatic disease organization. Matthew Sholdice works as an outreach coordinator for Take a Pain Check while also serving as a Cassie + Friends Future Leader/Air Ambassador. The organizations cross-promote and collaborate on youth engagement.
• Canadian Autoinflammatory NetworknotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Ian Stedman (Cassie + Friends Can-SAID chair), the Canadian Autoinflammatory Network partners with Cassie + Friends to build a better future for autoinflammatory families through the Canadian Systemic Autoinflammatory Patient Advisory Group (Can-SAID).
• Integris Credit UnionminorOthersAlison Hoskins, CEO of Integris Credit Union, served as a judge at the Cassie + Friends Future Leaders Showcase in June 2024, providing industry expertise in evaluating youth-led project pitches.
• BN3TH Underwear / Native Shoes / SAXXminorOthersDarren Hawrish, an investor/innovator behind brands including BN3TH, Native Shoes, and SAXX (and Cassie + Friends board member), is connected to these brands as a community supporter. He participated as a showcase judge.
• All pediatric rheumatology clinics across CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCassie + Friends works actively with all pediatric rheumatology clinics across Canada to deliver programs, connect families, and foster research. Clinics include BC Children's Hospital, Alberta Children's Hospital (Calgary), SickKids (Toronto), McMaster Children's Hospital (Hamilton), Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa), IWK Health (Halifax), and others.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• AboutKidsHealth (SickKids): A pediatric health education resource operated by SickKids providing condition-specific education content for families. Comparable as an adjacent peer in delivering trusted pediatric health education content, including rheumatology-related resources.
• CAPRI (Canadian Alliance of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators): National network of Canadian pediatric rheumatology researchers that Cassie + Friends is formally partnered with as a patient research partner. Comparable as an ecosystem peer in advancing pediatric rheumatology research funding and knowledge mobilization.
• SickKids Foundation: The fundraising foundation for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, which is a core research and clinical partner of Cassie + Friends. Comparable as a hospital-affiliated pediatric health charity operating in the same pediatric patient ecosystem in Canada.
• BC Children's Hospital Foundation: The fundraising foundation for BC Children's Hospital, C+F's primary research and program partner where the Ross Petty Chair is housed. Comparable as a hospital-affiliated pediatric charity partner in the same geographic and clinical ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Arthritis Foundation (US): The leading US national arthritis nonprofit with a broader mandate spanning all arthritis types and ages, including juvenile arthritis programming. Comparable as a peer in pediatric rheumatology fundraising, research funding, and family support, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• The Arthritis Society (Canada): Canada's largest arthritis-focused charity serving all ages and types of arthritis. Comparable as the broad incumbent operating in the same disease category as Cassie + Friends, but with a much wider mandate across adult and pediatric populations and significantly larger budget.
• Spondylitis Association of America: US nonprofit dedicated to spondyloarthritis including juvenile forms, providing patient education, support, and research funding. Comparable as a peer in disease-specific patient support, research funding, and youth transition programming in the rheumatic disease space.
• Lupus Foundation of America: National US nonprofit supporting patients with lupus, including juvenile lupus, through research, education, and support programs. Comparable as a peer in pediatric rheumatic disease patient support, research funding, and awareness campaigns that overlap with Cassie + Friends' JIA and lupus programming.

Emerging players

• Take a Pain Check Foundation: A youth-focused Canadian organization serving young people with rheumatic diseases through peer support and storytelling. Comparable as a peer in pediatric rheumatic disease youth engagement, with direct partnership overlap with Cassie + Friends.
• CreakyJoints (Global Healthy Living Foundation): A US-based patient community and education platform for people with arthritis and rheumatic disease, including pediatric populations. Comparable as a peer in online support networks, patient education content, and digital community engagement for chronic rheumatic disease patients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRF07SYaN-9fbatNCKhL08g
• Facebookfacebook.com/189908714401014
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cassie-and-friends-a-society-for-children-with-juvenile-arthritis-and-other-rheumatic-diseases

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cassie and Friends: A Society for Children with Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases