Donation to help kids with cancer at new BC Children's Hospital's Oncology Inpatient Area
VANCOUVER, May 26, 2011 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) today announced that its employees are committed to raising $750,000 of a $1 million donation to support the construction of the new BC Children's Hospital. The balance of $250,000 will be a corporate donation.
"CIBC is committed to causes that matter to our clients, our employees and our communities," said Mike Stevenson, CIBC's Senior Vice-President of Retail Markets for Western Canada. "We are especially proud of our employees who have been fundraising for BC Children's Hospital for more than two decades. We thank them along with our clients who have supported their fundraising efforts in making a difference in the lives of children across BC and the Yukon," Mr. Stevenson added.
This $1 million donation, to be paid over three years to BC Children's Hospital Foundation's $200-million Campaign for BC Children, follows CIBC's tradition of supporting childhood cancer research and programs. This donation will be directed towards the creation of the Oncology Inpatient Area in the new hospital.
"Childhood cancers still rob too many children of their futures," said Teri Nicholas, president and CEO of BC Children's Hospital Foundation. "With the support of CIBC, its employees and customers, our doctors, nurses and researchers will continue to make headway in the fight against childhood cancers within the walls of a new BC Children's Hospital."
According to Ms. Nicholas, each year, the Oncology/Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Children's Hospital sees over 760 patients in active cancer treatment or follow-up care. Over 100 of them are children and teens newly diagnosed with cancer. Advancements in diagnoses, treatments and research have lifted the childhood cancer survival rate to 80 per cent. Still, cancer kills more children in North America than any other disease.
CIBC employees and CIBC have contributed $6 million to BC Children's Hospital Foundation since 1995, including a $1-million gift to establish the CIBC and CIBC Employees' Pediatric Oncology Endowment at the Child & Family Research Institute.
Priorities of the Campaign for BC Children include the construction of a new Children's Hospital and the relocation of childhood development and rehabilitation services from Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children to the Children's Hospital site, and Child Health BC, an initiative of BC Children's Hospital with the goal of ensuring all BC children have access to a consistent standard of specialized care no matter where in the province they live. It is the largest health-care fundraising initiative in the province's history.
About BC Children's Hospital
As the province's only full-service hospital dedicated to serving the one million children in BC and the Yukon, BC Children's Hospital is accessible to the largest population of children and youth served by a single Canadian hospital. Last year, more than 78,000 children were treated at Children's Hospital. BC Children's Hospital Foundation raises funds to support BC Children's Hospital, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and the Child & Family Research Institute. For more information, visit www.bcchf.ca
About CIBC
CIBC is committed to causes that matter to our clients, employees and communities. We aim to make a difference through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of our employees. With a focus on youth, education and health, CIBC invested approximately $34 million in communities across Canada in 2010.
