Helping CHEO make strategic investments in research, equipment and technology

OTTAWA, May 14 /CNW/ - Tomorrow, CIBC (CM: TSX;NYSE) will commit $125,000 to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation's BIG STEPS campaign to attract the best research minds, physicians and health care providers to CHEO and equip them with the advanced tools and technologies they need to care for and cure kids from Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

The presentation will take place at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 15, at CIBC's new branch in the South Keys Shopping Centre at the corner of Bank Street and Johnston Road in south Ottawa.

In recognition of this gift, CHEO is naming the playroom in the hospital's Medical Day Unit (MDU) as the CIBC Playroom. Patients go to the MDU for oncology treatments, kidney dialyses and treatments for blood-related disorders.

"This amazing gift is one that all CIBC employees can be very proud of," said Fred Bartlett, President and CEO of the CHEO Foundation. "The playroom in the Medical Day Unit here at CHEO is of vital importance to families of children facing extreme medical challenges. On behalf of all children and youth at CHEO we thank everyone at CIBC for their dedication to our children and youth and for supporting CHEO's BIG STEPS Campaign with this generous donation."

"CIBC has a long history of contributing to the health and well-being of Canadians," said Sylvain Vinet, CIBC's Senior Vice-president of Retail Markets for Eastern Canada. "We are pleased to make this donation that will help CHEO buy the most sophisticated equipment needed to treat our children and take huge steps forward in vital, life-saving research."

The BIG STEPS campaign is raising $25 million to add, upgrade and integrate new devices and systems that will greatly enhance CHEO's ability to provide optimal care for Eastern Ontario kids - from the emergency department to operating rooms to a patient's bedside, from diagnostic imaging to patient monitoring and information systems.

Funds raised will also be invested to attract more leading researchers to the team of world-class minds at the CHEO Research Institute, and increase their efforts in four key areas: Clinical research, non-toxic treatments for pediatric cancer, childhood obesity and mental health research.

"My children and grandchildren have benefited from the excellent level of care provided by CHEO," said Peter Rowan-Legg, First Vice-President and Associate Investment Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy in Ottawa, and Past Chair and current Governor of the CHEO Foundation Board. "Having served as a board volunteer since 1976, I know first hand that CIBC's commitment will help keep CHEO among the very best pediatric facilities in the country."

In the last five years, CIBC has also committed $19 million to hospitals and research centres across Canada, including $4 million towards breast cancer treatment and research.

CIBC is committed to supporting causes that matter to our clients, employees and our communities. We aim to make a difference in communities through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of employees. With a strategic focus on youth, education and health, and employee commitment to causes including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, the CIBC Children's Foundation and United Way, we are investing in the social and economic development of communities across the country. In 2009, $26.8 million was contributed through the CIBC group of companies to charitable and non-profit initiatives in Canada, supporting a wide variety of national, regional and local organizations. To learn more, visit www.communitymatters.cibc.com.