Million dollar milestone reached for Edmonton Elks ovarian cancer research fund

The Edmonton Elks have raised $1 million to support ovarian cancer research and women's health initiatives.

The Edmonton Elks Football Club announced their ovarian cancer research fund has surpassed $1 million, reaching the milestone after two decades.

The Edmonton Elks Ovarian Cancer Research Endowment Fund was established in 2008 as a way to support women’s health initiatives and advance cancer research, including ovarian cancer research in honour of longtime Edmonton Eskimos staff member Pam Monastyrskyj. She died in 2005 after a four-year battle with the disease.

On Tuesday, the football club handed off a large cheque to its partners – the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF) and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF) – in the Elks locker room.

“Ovarian cancer remains a complex and a formidable opponent – often silent in its early stages and, in some forms, highly aggressive,” RAHF and AWHF president and CEO Sharlene Rutherford said in a news release. “Thanks to the leadership and generosity of the Edmonton Elks community, we are creating hope through research and moving closer to better detection, better treatments, and brighter futures for women everywhere.”

An annual football-themed fundraising dinner was reimagined into an interactive event called “Game Changers: A Women’s Training Camp.” The inaugural charity fundraiser in 2025 raised more than $62,000 for the endowment fund, which pushed the total donations over the million-dollar mark.

Joan Forge was a co-chair for the event last year. She said it gives a chance for women to have fun, test out their football skills, and raise money for an important cause that impacts both men and women.

“It’s really important because they’ve all got wives, mothers, girlfriends, daughters and many, many of the guys that you talk to have been affected by it or affected by other cancers,” Forge told CTV News Edmonton, adding “it means a lot and it’s special to pass the torch” to the new co-chairs.

“Reaching the one-million dollar milestone for the Edmonton Elks Women’s Endowment Fund is an incredibly meaningful moment for our community,” 2026 Game Changers co-chair Chelsea Philpott said in a news release. “Game Changers brings women together in a way that is both inspiring and impactful, and this milestone is a testament to the generosity, passion and commitment of everyone who has supported the event along the way.”

The 2026 Game Changers event will take place at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium on June 27.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein