Our History

A mosaic of our different events and campaigns over the past few years

A Student Club

Coda started out as a student club at Marianopolis College in 2019. With the goal of raising funds and awareness for the cause, we organized a variety of events, such as bake sales, bagging sessions at local grocery stores, awareness events, and more!
CODA club at Marianopolis, raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society
The name was chosen in honor of Claudia, the aunt of a founding member, who was sadly taken by cancer.
One of the founding members of the CODA Marianopolis club holding a picture of his aunt Claudia during our 2023 World Cancer Day event
Despite limited resources, we managed to raise nearly $2,000 within our first year of operation!
Our early success fueled our motivation to make an ever-increasing impact on our community, in the hopes of eradicating this deadly disease.
Members of the CODA Marianopolis club holding a giant cheque for the Canadian Cancer Society

A Non-Profit

In 2021, Coda was relaunched as a non-profit organization in official collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), together with a complete brand refresh and a medical-student-led administration.
Over the next few years, we held numerous events, raised awareness both for common types of cancers as well as underrecognized types, and raised over $100,000 for cancer research and to support cancer patients.
One of our pins made for our 2023 World Cancer Day event
During that time, we built a massive network of over a dozen different academic institutions, each hosting one of our Coda "Seeds". With over 150 dedicated students by our side, we were constantly looking for new ways of increasing our impact.
A large group picture of our members
One of our most rewarding events is our annual Christmas in July event. Every year, our Seeds join forces to assemble hundreds of gift bags to brighten the day of every child at a given pediatric hospital.
This event gave our efforts a purpose and left us yearning for more. We knew we had to go further.
Numerous gift bags packed and ready to be distributed to hospitalized children

A Charity

Friday, April 19, 2024.
On this beautiful spring day, we received the notice that we were now officially registered as a charity. Hours upon hours of meetings and paperwork had finally paid off.
This news reignited our passion and we immediately multiplied our efforts to bring our first charitable service to life.
Our notice of registration as a Canadian charity
The Coda Comfort Crew: our most incredible achievement yet, and we're just getting started.
Since June 2024, we have recruited and trained volunteers who then spend their free time offering companionship and distraction to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments. We accumulate hundreds of hours of psychosocial support every single month!
The Coda Comfort Crew volunteers at the Gatineau chemotherapy center
This is but the prologue of our epic story and we'd love to have you on our side, building a brighter future and inspiring an entire generation to do the same.
Donate today for a better tomorrow.
Our generation of leaders