The campaign is traditionally launched each year along with the opening of ICA's year of activity in the presence of Israel's President, who has been serving as the campaign's patron for decades. This is the first year that President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal open the campaign ceremony. This is especially symbolical, since the new president is the son of Israel's 6th president, the late Chaim Herzog and Ora Herzog, whose sister Suzy Eban of blessed memory, was the founding president of the ICA, who transformed a small group of volunteers into the largest volunteer organization in Israel with a proud record of achievement, winning widespread recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a leader in Israel's fight against cancer.
On Monday, November 11, the annual Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign launched in its 61st year. The Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign is familiar to every household in Israel as a symbol of giving and mutual responsibility, and is an inseparable part of the Israel Cancer Association's spirit.
The President of Israel: "We all know cancer patients and survivors in our close circle, and carry the faces and names of dear ones in our hearts who were not fortunate to recover from this terrible disease; many others have survived or lead a full and dignified life alongside the disease. Ground-breaking studies, mindful, supportive legislation, top-notch information to raise awareness and promote life-saving early detection of the disease, and a comprehensive network of training, support, guidance and mind-body treatments for patients, survivors and their families, are only a small portion of the extensive, impressive and tireless work of the Israel Cancer Association."Opening ceremony - Michal Herzog, Yitzhak Herzog, Miri Ziv and Moshe Bar-Haim (R to L)
As is customary in the past 60 years, the Ministry of Education is playing an important role in the fundraising campaign, and the school kids will partake in the campaign, along with your movements and volunteers, who will knock on the doors of Israeli homes and encourage the public to open their heart and support the fight against cancer for the benefit of cancer patients in Israel. The campaign will run online simultaneously, so that the public can donate directly on the ICA's website. Another donation option is on PayBox – the digital wallet, on Bit and other digital options. This year's Door Knock® campaign chairman is Prof. Yossi Yarden, a scientist, Israel Prize laureate and former chairman of the ICA Research Committee.
Prof. Yossi Yarden, 2021 Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign chairman: "What is the future? We scientists anticipate that the Coronavirus will dissipate sooner or later, just like previous pandemics. However, cancer is unfortunately going to stick around. Cancer takes no timeout."
Suzy Eban began her involvement with the Israel Cancer Association in 1952. Being the wife of the late Abba Eban, UN Ambassador and later Israel's Foreign Minister, Suzy wisely used her name, her status and her personal relations in Israel and worldwide to her advantage by addressing herself to key people in the business, medical and economic world. She officially became its President in 1959, serving with determination and dedication until her retirement in 1998, after a very active presidency and a wide range of achievements. Under her guidance, the Israel Cancer Association eventually became the spearhead in Israel's fight against cancer.
In 1960, Suzy founded the Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign for the first time, and since then, it has become a milestone in educating youth to giving and combining an information campaign on health education in schools and for the general public.
The Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign is the main source of funding of for the Israel Cancer Association (ICA), which has led the fight against cancer since 1952, and acts on all fronts to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality in Israel.
There are 300,000 cancer patients in Israel today, with 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year, but thanks to research promotion and emphasis on improving means of cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, a significant increase in the number of survivors and improvement in survivors' quality of life has been registered. Each year, about 30,000 new patients are diagnosed, 450 of which are children.
The ICA's activity is made possible thanks to public donations, with no government funding whatsoever. The donations received during the campaign will go towards life-saving activities, among which are support groups for youth and adults, an emotional-mental hotline and an information hotline, supporting and funding cancer research, initiating and carrying out cancer prevention and early detection national programs, assisting in establishing, renovating and upgrading oncology units in medical centers, funding positions for cancer caretaking professionals, promoting patients and survivors' rights and improving their quality of life, promoting health and information to the general public and more.
The fight against cancer takes no time out, and is vital to the overall population in Israel. Combating cancer is of top national priority, therefore, the Door Knock® Fundraising Campaign is crucial to maintaining the ICA's myriad activities – for the patients and against the disease.
About 180 million ILS were awarded by the ICA to medical centers and health services to promote the fight against cancer.
About 40 million ILS were awarded in the past decade as perliminary financial assistance to child cancer patients and adult patients who are facing financial difficulty while actively undergoing treatments in oncology centers.
About 36 million ILS were inevsted in the past five years in purchasing equipment for oncology units and funding positions for social workers and nurses in the field of oncology as well as health care funds across the country, in order to minimize the disparities between the level of service given to population in the periphery to population in the center.
About 50 million ILS were allocated to funding hundreds of researchers by doctors and scientists in the past decade.
In 2020 alone, 22 oncologists traveled on long-term fellowships overseas to leading medical centers in the fireld of cancer, and 14 more travelled to conferences and short-term fellowships funded by the ICA.
About 19,000 screenings were conducted in 2019 as part of the mammography mobile unit project aimed at minmizing disparities in compliance rates to early cancer detection, operated by Assuta medical centers, initiated and assisted by the ICA.
About 15,000 volunteer hours were given by Reach to Recovery® volunteers in 2019.
About 10 million ILS were invested by the ICA in the past decade in funding and running a network of Strong Together® support centers, established by the ICA and offering a myriad of complimentary support groups for patients and their families.
About 100,000 tutoring hours were given to child cancer patients in 2019 as part of the Hope for Life® project for catching up on schoolwork.
About 27,000 volunteer hours were given as part of the social-educational project by bursary recipient students from IMPACT! SHAHAK and HESEG who are placed in the ICA's support array.
Over 4,000 women and men from across the country participated in the 2019 Look Good, Feel Better® project.
About 10,500 patients participated in the Steps to Recovery® project in 19 medical centers across the country.
About 400 participants took part in the 2019 ICA Family Vacation at Kibbutz Shefayim recreation village.
About 370,000 preschool and kindergarten children were exposed to Sunsmart® activities, lectures and information materials about healthy lifestyle and the harmful effects of smoking.
Over 2,000,000 visits in 2019 to the ICA website, which provides comprehensive, reliable and professional information about the different types of cancer diseases, treatment, prevention methods and early detection
Over 70,000 followers on the ICA Facebook page, which serves as a platform for the ICA's messages on cancer prevenation, health lifestyle and more.