The Arthritis Society

The Arthritis Society (TAS) BC and Yukon Division was founded in 1948 by Mary Pack of Vancouver, who was instrumental in establishing The Arthritis Society (then the Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society, or C.A.R.S.) as a national headquarters in Toronto.

TAS is a progressive, volunteer-led, not-for-profit organization committed to excellence and leadership in research, care, education and advocacy for people with arthritis.

Our vision is to support research into new treatments and therapies and possible cures for arthritis and to enable and support people affected by arthritis to improve their quality of life. As a 100 per cent donor-funded organization, TAS raises nearly $5 million annually to support its programs and services.

Mary Pack, Founder of The Arthritis Society

Mary Pack was born in England in 1904 and came to Canada at the age of 18 to settle on a farm in Langley with her family. When she became a home school teacher in her 40s, she encountered many children bedridden with arthritis, which spurred her on to eventually establish the Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society (later The Arthritis Society) in 1948, and dedicate her life to improving the quality of life through research, education and treatment of people with arthritis.

In 1948 she took a leave of absence from her teaching duties to become Executive Director of the first BC division of The Arthritis Society, a position from which she retired in 1969.

She earned many awards for her determination and dedication, including an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, the Royal Bank Award and Freedom of the City of Vancouver. She never lost sight of her dream that one day a cure would be found for arthritis. Mary Pack died of a heart attack in 1992 at the age of 87.