“The original goal was measured in 3 digits. It was quickly clear that this fundraiser was going to be an ongoing force in raising funds to fight cancer.” Remarked Henry Madsen Former Prinicpal of Nellie Carlson School
In 2022, a young Oilers fan caught the hearts of Edmonton. Ben Stelter’s fight against childhood cancer left a legacy that was continued by a student then at Nellie Carlson School (K-9).
BSSF Director Aariz Mawji remembers when he started the city wide student movement.
Back then, inspired by the impact of Ben’s story, Aariz Mawji started the Ben Stelter School Fundraiser (BSSF) in simple terms; it was a student-led initiative within the school to support the Ben Stelter Fund.
Henry Madsen, the former Principal at Nellie Carlson, recalls his first conversations with Aariz on the campaign.
“I remember thinking that the goal was clear, but the task was enormous and would require significantly difficult collaboration. But Aariz was a hard worker with a passion for helping others. That came out very clear.”
What started with a school coming together for a difference quickly became the largest fundraiser in its entire history. It demonstrated a powerful student impact.
The fundraiser was clearly meant for something larger because, in late 2023, the organization became a 5-school student initiative across Edmonton.
This growth also marked the introduction of the organization’s staple student leadership model and the famous McDavid Prize, creating a structured and motivating experience for participating schools.
Madsen was taken by a special moment at the first McDavid Assembly.
“Their focus was clearly on raising money to support cancer research; the great opportunity to meet Connor McDavid was a significant added highlight, not the goal. That same message was echoed by McDavid.”
In just that second year, they raised the groundbreaking number of over $43,000. The organization made it clear that their model was scalable to something bigger than one school.
When discussing the campaign’s origins, Madsen noted the point where he realized how big the initiative was to become.
“The original goal was measured in 3 digits. It was quickly clear that this fundraiser was going to be an ongoing force in raising funds to fight cancer.”BSSF
Even while being a leader in the organization, Anandita Shah, the BSSF’s Director of Operations, shared the same surprise.
“At the beginning, it didn’t seem like something that could take off […] Now we run Canada’s largest school fundraiser. All from a couple kids that took something seriously for once!”
As the Ben Stelter Fund evolved into the current Ben Stelter Foundation, it expanded in both impact and reach.
The student campaign significantly drove this as Mawji built a small committee to help run the fundraiser across multiple schools, with Anandita Shah being the first to join.
Their 2024 fundraiser was massively successful, raising $74,000 in 10 schools that year.
The BSSF has been a city-wide student movement, coming together to raise money for a cause that will support many Canadians. Shah shared this same passion when joining the organization in its early days.
“I didn’t really have much opportunity to be involved in something impactful. When the opportunity presented itself, I took it. There are such few chances for young people to have a voice in this world, and having the ability to make such a great contribution to our world and society makes all our hard work worth it.”
2025’s fundraiser was a memorable period in the BSSF’s history, because they took on 50 schools across Edmonton and led them to raise $285,000. This was a change far beyond the big 2024 campaign, coordinating 5 times as many schools.
Shah emphasized the resilience in the team that went behind this level-up.
“It was a big change, and there were times we thought we couldn’t survive it. I think the reason we stayed resilient was because we didn’t have anything to lose, yet so much to gain […] that was what drove us towards success every year.”
Today, the Ben Stelter School Fundraiser empowers thousands of Edmonton students to lead, fundraise, and donate to establish the Ben Stelter Centre for Proton Therapy and Neurosciences, an advanced cancer treatment facility that will be built in Edmonton by 2028.
Coming from Madsen, “this fundraiser is entirely orchestrated by students […] their passion and energy was remarkable. Our world is clearly in good hands”.
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