Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre

What Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre does

Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre (legal name: Wellwood Resource Centre of Hamilton) is an independent registered Canadian charity (Charitable Registration #89695 5036 RR0001) headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, providing free-of-charge support programs for individuals affected by a cancer diagnosis. The organization serves three core beneficiary segments: people living with cancer, loved ones and caregivers, and children, youth, and young adults (ages 4-39) impacted by serious illness in the family. Service delivery follows a hybrid model combining two physical locations — the O'Connor-O'Connell Family Cancer Support Centre at Juravinski Hospital (711 Concession St) and Juravinski House (501 Sanatorium Rd, near Chedoke on Hamilton's west mountain) — with unlimited virtual participation via Zoom, allowing remote and mobility-constrained patients to access the same programming. All programs are volunteer-delivered by a community of more than 150 active volunteers, many of whom have lived cancer experience, supported by a paid staff of approximately 10 employees including an Executive Director (K. Jane George), Director of Community Engagement, Program Manager, and dedicated volunteer and client engagement managers.

The product surface spans peer mentorship (one-on-one by phone, email, and text), hybrid support groups (e.g., men's cancers, breast, gynecological cancers), yoga (restorative, gentle hatha, chair), guided visualization, mindfulness meditation, creative expression workshops, educational lectures (treatment decisions, clinical trials, nutrition, sexuality, palliative care), and family retreat days for children ages 4-16. A curated Tools & Resources Library aggregates validated external links by topic, including self-care, community resources, diagnosis-specific information, and age-specific guidance. The underlying platform is a conventional WordPress website (wellwood.ca) integrated with Google Forms for client registration, Eventbrite for event ticketing, Zoom for virtual delivery, and CanadaHelps for donations.

The business model is a community-led donation model with no fee structure. Funding is sourced entirely from individual donations — including monthly recurring gifts, single gifts, memorial and honorary gifts, DIY community fundraising events, stock portfolio gifts, planned giving (wills, life insurance beneficiary designations) — via the CanadaHelps platform and direct channels. The organization explicitly receives no government, hospital, or national cancer organization funding. A core strategic partnership with Hamilton Health Sciences integrates Wellwood into the Juravinski Cancer Centre delivery stack and provides patient referrals through the Patient Family Resource Centre. An annual Walk/Run/Wheel fundraiser (entering its 28th year, scheduled at McMaster University in 2026) functions as the signature community engagement and fundraising event.

Name

Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre

Legal name

Wellwood Resource Centre of Hamilton

Website

https://wellwood.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre is an independent registered charity in Hamilton, Ontario, offering free cancer support programs (peer mentorship, support groups, yoga, meditation, guided visualization, educational lectures, and family retreats) to patients, caregivers, and children/youth aged 4-39, delivered in-person at two hospital-based locations and virtually via Zoom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Cancer support services
• Peer mentorship programs
• Community wellness programs
• Patient navigation services
• Non-profit healthcare support

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Wellwood relies entirely on individual donations from the community. The organization is an independent registered charity with no government, hospital, or national cancer organization funding. Monthly giving, single gifts, memorial and honorary gifts, DIY fundraising events, and planned giving options are available.
2. Donations of Stocks: Donors can make gifts from their investment portfolios by completing a form and sending it to Wellwood.
3. Planned Giving: Donors can leave a bequest in their will or purchase a life insurance policy with Wellwood as the beneficiary.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre is an independent registered charity in Hamilton, Ontario that provides free cancer support programs to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis. Its core offerings include peer mentorship, support groups, yoga, mindfulness meditation, guided visualization, creative expression workshops, educational lectures, and family/children's programs, delivered through a hybrid model combining in-person sessions at two physical locations and virtual delivery via Zoom.

Product overview

Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre is a non-profit cancer support organization offering a comprehensive suite of free programs and services for individuals affected by cancer. The organization operates as a single integrated service delivery model (not a modular software product) providing peer mentorship, educational lectures, guided visualizations, yoga and exercise programs, mindfulness meditation, creative expression workshops, support groups, family retreats, and a curated library of validated online resources. All programs are provided at no cost via a hybrid model combining in-person and virtual delivery across two Hamilton locations. The core offerings include the Peer Mentorship Program connecting clients with trained mentors, the Wellwood Educational Lectures series, Guided Visualization and Guided Imagery for Kids programs, Yoga Programs (Restorative, Gentle Hatha, Chair), Support Groups, and Family Day Retreats. These programs work together to provide holistic support across information, navigation, peer support, exercise, meditation, and creative expression.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peer Mentorship Program One-on-one peer mentoring connecting individuals affected by cancer with trained mentors who have lived experience, conducted via phone, email, and text.
• Wellwood Educational Lectures Informative recorded and live lectures covering cancer-related topics such as treatment decisions, clinical trials, nutrition, sexuality, and palliative care, accessible virtually.
• Guided Visualization Program Pre-recorded relaxation and visualization sessions featuring volunteer voices to help cope with anxiety and manage symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment.
• Guided Imagery for Kids Collection of audio and visual guided imagery experiences for children to promote relaxation, calmness, sleep, stress management, and empowerment.
• Yoga Programs Hybrid yoga sessions including Restorative, Gentle Hatha, and Chair Yoga styles, designed for individuals affected by cancer.
• Support Groups Discussion and support groups including Curveball Men's Group, Support for Individuals with Breast Cancer, and Support for Individuals with Gynecological Cancer, offered in hybrid format.
• Family Day Retreats Retreat programs for families with children ages 4-16 living with serious illness, providing fun-filled activities and support.
• Mindfulness Meditation Virtual mindfulness meditation practice introducing mental calming and physical relaxation through body awareness, breath-focused awareness, gentle movement, and guided imagery.
• Creative Expression Workshops Creative workshops allowing participants to explore curiosity and express creativity in a supportive environment.
• Tools & Resources Library Validated online resources covering self-care, community resources, diagnosis-specific information, young adult resources, family resources, and educational lectures.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hamilton Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamilton Health Sciences is proud to partner with Wellwood. The partnership integrates Wellwood's support services with the healthcare system at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, including co-location at the Juravinski Hospital and access to the Patient Family Resource Centre.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MacMillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity providing free support, information, and financial assistance to cancer patients. Comparable in delivering free, wraparound cancer support services at scale but with diversified funding and a national footprint.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest national cancer charity providing research funding, information, and support services. Overlaps with Wellwood on the support and education mission, but operates at a much larger scale with diversified fundraising including government grants and national campaigns.
• Livestrong Foundation: U.S. nonprofit historically focused on supporting cancer survivors with navigation, education, and community programs. Overlaps with Wellwood on psychosocial support and survivor navigation but at significantly larger national scale.
• Cancer Support Community (formerly Gilda's Club): Largest U.S. network of community-based cancer support centers offering free psychosocial support, education, and healthy lifestyle programs. Comparable programmatic model with broader geographic footprint and national fundraising infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Wellspring Cancer Support: Canadian nonprofit operating multiple centers that offer free psychosocial, educational, and peer-support programs to people affected by cancer. Highly comparable in mission, program mix (support groups, exercise, meditation, educational lectures), and reliance on donations and volunteers.
• Cancer Wellness Centre (Toronto): Toronto-area nonprofit providing free programs including exercise, meditation, support groups, and educational workshops for people touched by cancer. Comparable in mission, program mix, and reliance on donations and trained volunteers.
• Hope & Cope: Montreal-based nonprofit providing free supportive care programs (peer support, exercise, art therapy, meditation) for cancer patients and families, often co-located within a hospital. Closely aligned in mission, model, and Canadian healthcare-system integration.
• Healing Journey: Toronto-based nonprofit offering free, volunteer-led supportive care programs (mindfulness, meditation, support groups, expressive arts) for people affected by cancer. Direct programmatic and operational overlap with Wellwood's volunteer-led, hybrid delivery approach.

Emerging players

• Rethink Breast Cancer: Canadian charity focused on support, education, and advocacy for young women with breast cancer. Adjacent to Wellwood's young-adult and disease-specific programming; comparable in donor-funded, programmatic support delivery.

Regional players

• Look Good Feel Better: Canadian charity providing free workshops to help women and teens manage appearance-related effects of cancer treatment. Comparable as a free, community-delivered cancer support program but focused on a narrow use case (appearance/beauty) rather than broad psychosocial support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=IVYqmfnPHdE
• Facebookfacebook.com/183255878388688
• Instagraminstagram.com/wellwood_ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wellwood-resource-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wellwood Cancer Resource Centre