Cenovus, Alberta Children's Hospital partner to fight childhood cancer
Cenovus Energy Inc. is a Canadian integrated oil company with oil sands projects in northern Alberta, established natural gas and oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and a 50% stake in two US refineries. Beyond its commitment to apply progressive thinking to safely and responsibly unlock energy resources, the company is committed to improving the community.
The company focuses its community investment in three core areas - learning, safety and well-being, and sustainable communities as a way to reflect company values and make a positive impact in the communities where employees work and live.
Most recently, the company committed $1.3 million to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation to help experts at the Alberta Children's Hospital in the fight against childhood cancer. Cenovus's gift is specifically directed to support the pediatric Blood & Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program.
"With support from the community, our hospital has become recognized nationally for its high success rates in BMT survival and low rates of graft-versus-host disease, a potentially fatal complication from transplant," says Saifa Koonar, president and CEO of the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. "This generous gift from Cenovus will help our experts continue to expand and improve the use of BMT for kids with cancer and those with other life-threatening diseases."
"We're extremely pleased to commit $1.3 million to help further the Blood & Marrow Transplant program and increase the survival rate of children fighting cancer,'' said Brian Ferguson, Cenovus president and chief executive officer. "We're heartened by the leading-edge work being done at the hospital by the doctors, nurses, researchers and other staff seeking innovative ways to treat cancer and other serious illnesses. All of us at Cenovus are humbled by the courage of the patients who deal with this every day."
Cenovus commits $1.3 million to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation
Photo courtesy of Cenovus Energy
Seven-year-old Hannah Baartman received a life-saving bone marrow transplant five years ago to cure a rare blood disorder. She and her mom, Andrea, personally thanked Brian Ferguson for the support from Cenovus for kids like her. "Finding out that a BMT could save Hannah was an incredible source of hope for us," says Andrea. "And now, this gift from Cenovus is going to provide that same life-saving hope to countless other kids and families."
Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation raises funds for excellence in child health, research and family centered care. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation provides funding for innovative programs, state-of-the-art equipment, advanced medical training and internationally-recognized pediatric research.
The commitment from Cenovus to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation is just one of the donations the company has made in 2011.
A $50,000 donation was made to the Canadian Red Cross in support of earthquake and tsunami disaster relief in Japan earlier in the year.
This October, the company's month-long campaign to promote community-mindedness will once again serve as an opportunity to encourage and celebrate the employees' community spirit.
In October 2010, Cenovus employees and their families served a turkey dinner sponsored by Cenovus at Inn from the Cold in Calgary, while others volunteered for a fall clean-up and baked for a local school's hot lunch program through The Family Place in Weyburn, Saskatchewan.
During the campaign and all year long, employees make donations to charities that are important to them. Cenovus matches employee donations to eligible charitable and non-profit organizations to a total of $25,000 per employee, per year.
In 2010, employees raised $870,967.52 for 595 charitable organizations across Canada. Cenovus matched these donations for a campaign total of $1,741,935.04.
With the generous commitments already made, the company is well-positioned to make an impact on more lives in more communities in 2011.
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