Tori Sutton
Staff Reporter

What started as a school project  for 11-year-old Cam Marshall has turned into a mission to raise funds for cancer research in memory of a friend.

This Friday, Jan. 15, the Grade 6 student will be hosting Cam’s Concert for a Cure at Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of his friend Ben Elliott, who died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia last August.

Cam, who attends Bedford Public School, got the idea to plan the concert from an assignment.

“We had a school project where we had to do something to help other people,” Cam said, adding he had been to fundraising concerts before that were successful in raising money.

It seemed like a natural fit for the youngster, who began playing piano at age four and also enjoys guitar. He’s also played with the worship team at Memorial Baptist.

Picking the charity was also easy. Rev. Dave Elliott, Ben’s father, is the pastor at the church and since they arrived in Stratford, Cam had always looked up to Ben and his brothers and sisters.

“Ben died of leukemia and I didn’t want anyone else to die,” said Cam, of the reason behind choosing the Canadian Cancer Society as his charity of choice.

The Elliott family has been incredibly supportive and several of them – along with some of Cam’s other friends and family – will be taking the stage during the concert.

Planning the concert, which will run for about two hours, has been more work than Cam thought, but he’s grateful to have received plenty of help from his parents Heather and Mark.

His original goal was to raise $1,000, and at the start of this week, he was almost there. But his dad has upped the stakes, challenging Cam to raise $1,500. In turn, Mark has agreed to shave his head.

He’s been receiving plenty of support from family and friends. Cam’s mother Heather said messages of encouragement have been pouring in through Facebook.

His parents are also proud of his efforts.

“We’re extremely proud of him, he has such a tender heart,” Heather said. “He’s definitely followed through on this idea.”

Friday’s concert begins at 7 p.m. and donations will be accepted at the door. Donations can also be made online at http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/camsconcert.