TORONTO and CALGARY – Shaw Communications will donate $50,000 to three children’s charities selected by the Shaw CFL Top Performers of the 2017 CFL season, James Wilder Jr., Mike Reilly and Brandon Banks.
Shaw has been a partner of the Canadian Football League since 2015 as the only presenting sponsor of the Grey Cup. At the end of each year, the top three Shaw CFL performers – as selected by an independent panel of judges and weekly point accumulation – are given the opportunity to choose a charity to receive a donation from Shaw.
The Toronto Argonauts’ James Wilder Jr. will donate $25,000 to Covenant House Toronto, which serves to shelter homeless children and youth in Toronto and beyond; Edmonton Eskimos’ Mike Reilly will be donating $15,000 to Adarius 4 Autism, an organization founded by his former teammate Adarius Bowman that assists youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); and Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ Brandon Banks will contribute $10,000 to the David Lane Youth Success Fund at John Howard Society through Give Proof to Our Youth in Hamilton.
“Since partnering with the CFL, we have welcomed the opportunity to recognize the league’s Top Performers and support the causes that mean the most to them,” said Shaw’s VP external communications Chethan Lakshman, in a statement Monday. “This year’s charities selected by James, Mike, and Brandon each do an outstanding job to make our communities stronger and we are proud to help these players shine a light on important causes that benefit children and youth in our communities.”
Shaw said that it has donated $150,000 to the players’ charities of choice over the past three seasons and will do so again in the upcoming CFL season.
The 2018 CFL regular season kicks off a week earlier this year, on Thursday, June 14th, when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Edmonton Eskimos at Investors Group Field.
