The 2015 Ball for the Children's proves the strength of
the community around its children
MONTREAL, May 22, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Just 3 days before
the Montreal Children's Hospital moves to a new state-of-the-art
facility on the Glen site, Montreal's business and philanthropic leaders
came together at the Ball for the Children's, held on
May 21 at the historic Windsor
Station. The sold-out event's theme Evolution paid tribute
to the legacy of the Montreal Children's Hospital while celebrating
a future full of promises for child health.
Under the leadership of Patron of honor, Calin Rovinescu,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, the Ball
raised a record $ 1,307,000.
"This is a momentous time in the history of the Montreal
Children's Hospital and one of Montreal's most important milestones in
pediatric healthcare, and Air Canada is very proud to be closely
associated with it," says Mr. Rovinescu. "Air Canada has partnered with the Montreal
Children's Hospital for well over two decades. Through our Hospital
Transportation Program, we provide transportation to children
requiring medical services not available locally. Additionally for
25 years, our employees' Dreams Take Flight charity has taken sick
children on the trip of a lifetime to Disney, making magical
memories for many generations of special kids. The Air Canada
Foundation continues to give direct support to the Children's, as
well as to its partner foundations. We believe children's health
and development is the best possible investment anyone can
make."
PK Subban scores big with live auction.
One of the highlights of the evening was a surprise visit from
Montreal Canadiens defenseman, PK Subban, who, in an electrifying
performance with his manager Martin
Ross, conducted a live auction of hockey memorabilia that
brought the crowd of 650 people to its feet and raised $138,200. Subban also gave 11-year-old
Children's patient Gabriel
Bellefleur the thrill of a lifetime with an invitation to be
his personal guest at a home game, an opportunity to meet some of
his fellow Canadiens players and a post-match visit to the team's
dressing room.
"'The look on Gabriel's face when PK came onstage is something I
will never forget,'' says his father Eric, who earlier had shared
Gabriel's ongoing battle with Blackfan-Diamond Syndrome with the
crowd. "With 5 surgeries, more than 450 hospital visits, and
having just completed his 141'st blood transfusion, Gabriel has
been through a lot. When his idol, PK Subban of the Montreal
Canadiens, offered him a chance to watch him play, meet some more
of the players and visit the team after the game, it was a dream
come true. Our family will be eternally grateful to the
Foundation and to PK for this generous act of kindness.''
"We are thrilled to have so much support from members of the
business, philanthropic and sports communities, particularly as our
hospital enters an exciting new era of pediatric care," says
Marie-Josée Gariépy, President of the Montreal Children's Hospital
Foundation. "They are the reason the new Children's will be able to
continue its tradition of offering the kind of state-of-the-art
equipment and cutting-edge services that would have been
unthinkable in the previous outdated facilities. We owe a debt of
gratitude to our Patron of honour, Calin Rovinescu, PK Subban of
the Montreal Canadiens and Martin
Ross, our Award of Excellence sponsors Global Montreal, the
Gustav Levinschi Foundation, Jean Coutu Group, National Bank,
Shire, TransForce and TD, as well as our other sponsors Pfizer,
Bell and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec along with our
Platinum and Gold sponsors, our many volunteers, guests, partners
and donors. We are also pleased to begin a new partnership with
Loblaw Companies Limited which, as part of their proposed new
state-of-the-art store project, would include space dedicated for
temporary housing for out-of-town parents with children admitted to
the new hospital."
It was also an opportunity for the Children's community to
congratulate its 2015 Awards of Excellence recipients, eight
dedicated staff and volunteers who, through their work, have
greatly contributed to maintaining the Children's reputation of
cutting-edge and family-centred pediatric care.
Funds raised at this year's Ball for the Children's go to
the Healthy Kids Fund to meet the patient's most urgent needs with
innovative programs and services throughout the hospital, including
70 ambulatory clinics with 120,000 patient visits, the busiest
pediatric Emergency Department in North
America with 78,000 visits and 6,000 children who are
admitted each year. The Healthy Kids Fund also supports the
Children's world-renowned researchers, who have made
internationally-recognized breakthroughs in areas as diverse as
childhood brain tumours, cancer, diabetes and blindness.
ABOUT THE MONTREAL
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Montreal Children's Hospital is the pediatric teaching hospital
of the McGill University Faculty of
Medicine. The Children's is a leader in providing a broad spectrum
of highly specialized care to newborns, children, and adolescents
from all across Quebec. The
Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation raises funds to help The
Children's remain on the cutting edge of teaching, research and
care. The foundation completed its Best Care for Children
campaign to build the new state-of-the-art hospital on the Glen
site, which opens its doors to patients on May 24, 2015. For more information, please
visit childrenfoundation.com.
ABOUT AIR CANADA
Air
Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international
airline serving more than 180 destinations on five
continents. Canada's flag
carrier is the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served
more than 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled
passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49
destinations in the United States
and 72 cities in Europe, the
Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South
America. Air Canada is a
founding member of Star Alliance,
the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving
1,269 airports in 193 countries. For more information,
please visit: www.aircanada.com.
SOURCE The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation