TORONTO – Bell Canada today announced a five-year commitment to SickKids Foundation, in support of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
The commitment includes $5 million in fundraising proceeds collected through the Annual Bell Celebrity Golf Tournament and Bell Celebrity Gala events as well as a $5 million corporate gift to be distributed over five years.
The proceeds raised from the 2005 Bell Celebrity Gala, held Wednesday evening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, will be the first payment on this commitment.
The funds will be used to support projects in the hospital’s emergency department, to enhance patient care and to enhance other high-priority needs that include improving the patient and family experience during emergency visits.
"This commitment further extends a long-standing relationship between Bell and The Hospital for Sick Children," said Michael Sabia, CEO, Bell Canada, in the press release. "Bell Canada and its employees live and work in this community and are proud to support a world-class health care institution such as SickKids."
Since 1977, Bell Canada has participated in numerous programs that help SickKids provide world-class care for children. For close to 30 years, Bell has supported hospital fundraising campaigns, a pilot telehealth child home care project and most notably in 2003, a donation in support of the hospital’s multi media theatre within the newly renovated Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Unit (CDIU).
"This is one of the largest corporate gifts in the hospital’s history," said Mary Jo Haddad, president and CEO for The Hospital for Sick Children. "We are grateful to Bell Canada for their outstanding commitment to improving the health of children in our community."
The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is one of the largest paediatric health and scientific research centres in the world. Approximately 50,000 children are treated in the emergency centre each year. Some 15,000 children a year are admitted to the hospital itself, while its 100 clinics see 300,000 patients annually. In addition to treating Toronto-based patients, SickKids cares for children from all over Canada and from more than 40 countries each year.
The 2005 Bell Celebrity Gala, the largest celebrity-attended fundraiser in Canada, takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building this evening – Wednesday, October 26, 2005. The Bell Celebrity Gala has set a fundraising goal of $1,000,000 and an attendance goal of 2,000 guests and 200-plus Celebrities this year.
SickKids Foundation is the largest non-governmental granting agency in child health in Canada. Established in 1972, SickKids Foundation has granted over $300 million to The Hospital for Sick Children and over $60 million to researchers across the country. Our mission is to inspire our communities to invest in medical and scientific advances to improve the lives of children and their families in Canada and around the world. We invest our community’s contributions in outstanding patient care, research and education. Support for SickKids Foundation comes from many sources: individuals, community events, corporate partners, and other charities and foundations. SickKids Foundation believes there is no one else in Canada as dedicated as we are to eliminating the gap between what is happening in child health research and what should be happening.
