"I feel extremely blessed to have been asked to be the host of the Kick It Up for Kidney Cancer Boot Camp,” Black tells Samaritanmag. “It will be a day where fitness meets philanthropy."
Physical activity helps both prevent kidney cancer and improve outcomes and mental health for survivors of the disease. That’s why Kidney Cancer Canada launched Kick It Up for Kidney Cancer — a national fundraising campaign to get Canadians on their feet and moving in support of kidney cancer — last year.
Black, an energetic performer who has won a Juno Award and been recognized internationally for her singing and songwriting, also has a social conscience. She’s been able to use her fame to support a variety of causes — including travelling to Bangladesh on behalf of CARE Canada, an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.
The death of her sister Sharon from liver failure was the impetus for Black embarking on a health and wellness journey at age 12 that continues today. That’s why she’ll join top Toronto fitness trainers Michael DeCorte, Eva Redpath and her own trainer Brent Bishop as they lead the four-hour boot camp, and she invites men and women to help the cause by registering individually or as a team to take part.
"I believe the best way to honour those who have succumbed to cancer and to encourage those who are still in the fight is to come together in love and use our physical power to beat this thing," Black says. The second annual Kick It Up for Kidney Cancer Boot Camp at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium begins at 10 a.m. on June 1, with registration starting one hour earlier. Those outside of the city who can’t make it are encouraged to hold similar events in their communities.
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