Reach! and RBC celebrate a first that will last
RBC Financial Group provides its largest donation to date
in Alberta
June 5, 2006
Calgary — RBC Financial Group today announced
its largest gift to date in Alberta - a $2 million gift to
Reach!, the joint fundraising initiative of the Calgary Health
Region and the University of Calgary.
RBC's gift to Reach! fittingly coincides with the start of
Seniors Week as their gift will lead the development of a
new Seniors Health Campus - a physical and virtual centre
of excellence for seniors' health, offering a variety of health
programs and services to support healthy aging.
"RBC is aware that seniors are the fastest growing age
group comprising Alberta's population. RBC carefully considered
the many worthy projects Reach! was intended to fund and concluded
that one of the most impactful means of contributing to communities
across the Province would be to support the creation of the
Seniors Health Campus," said Bill Sembo, Vice Chairman,
RBC Capital Markets. "We are honoured to be partnering
with Reach! to support health and wellness programs that will
improve community services and enhance quality of life for
the seniors in our community."
RBC's partnership with Reach! will focus particular attention
on Injury and Falls Prevention for Seniors - an existing Calgary
Health Region initiative that will become a flagship program
of the Seniors Health Campus once it is developed. The program
will be expanded over the next several years to include home
and community care and emergency or acute care. Its objective
is to see a 20 per cent decrease in falls among seniors in
our community.
"Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths
among seniors, and a leading cause of loss of independence,"
says Jack Davis, President & CEO of the Calgary Health
Region. "Plus, the cost burden to health care is huge
- hip fractures alone cost the Calgary Health Region $31.7
million last year. Falls however are not an inherent part
of aging, and most of them are preventable. Our goal is to
have the healthiest community in Canada and this gift from
RBC will help the seniors in our community lead happy and
productive lives."
RBC's donation is the largest corporate gift received by
Reach! to date, and the first that will help address the long-term
need for better health and wellness services for the growing
population of seniors in our community.
"We are grateful for the generosity and commitment to
seniors RBC has demonstrated with this significant gift",
says Ken King, Co-Chair of Reach!. "RBC has a strong
history of supporting health and wellness in this community
and this recent gift will contribute to the vision of Reach!,
to create a new world standard of health for southern Albertans."
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For more information, please contact:
Reach!
Lois Epp
Director, Communications
403. 220. 2945
403. 862. 9668 (cell)
lois.epp@ucalgary.ca
www.reachforhealth.ca
RBC Financial Group
Cathryn Tucker
Advisor, Public Affairs
403. 292. 3970
403. 542. 0617 (cell)
cathryn.tucker@rbc.com
www.rbc.com
About Reach!
Reach! is a five-year, $300 million joint fundraising partnership
between the University of Calgary and the Calgary Health Region
designed to raise targeted philanthropic dollars to build
on excellence within Calgary's existing health system. Project
included within Reach! span the continuum of the health system,
from research and education to patient care and community
health. Our vision is to "build a new world standard
of health".
About RBC Financial Group
RBC Financial Group (RBC) has been named Canada's Most Respected
Corporation in the category of "Corporate Social Responsibility"
for 11 consecutive years in the annual KPMG/Ipsos Reid poll.
In addition to having one of the leading community care programs
in Canada, RBC is a founding member of Imagine Canada, committed
to donating at least one per cent of its annual net income
before taxes to charitable causes. In 2005, RBC invested more
than $65 million in communities across North America, including
$40.6 million in donations to charitable organizations and
$25 million invested in sponsorships.
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