Air Canada Foundation brings in $1M+ for Canadian kids

The Air Canada Foundation's seventh annual golf tournament netted more than $1,000,000 in support of organizations focused on the health and well-being of children in Canada.

The tournament took place Monday, July 9 at the Saint Raphaël Golf Club in Ile-Bizard, Quebec, and featured close to 350 attendees from around the world. It included a full day of golf followed by a cocktail-style dinner, as well as silent and live auctions of items donated by tournament partners and Air Canada Foundation supporters.

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"The overwhelming generosity of Air Canada's partners and friends has once again made the Air Canada Foundation's golf tournament a huge success with over $1 million raised," said Priscille LeBlanc, chair of the Air Canada Foundation. "We also appreciate the tireless work of Air Canada employee volunteers who helped organize and facilitate the event, which was once again a sellout, allowing the majority of the funds raised to directly benefit children in need. On behalf of all the children and their families whose lives are touched by the Foundation, I thank our loyal sponsors, participants and volunteers for their on-going generosity and support."

Worldwide support for those in need

Two young boys – Justin and Kaleb – who benefited from the support provided by the Air Canada Foundation played an important role during the day by manning the highly coveted lemonade stand.

They helped raise a record amount of $11,713.50 for the Foundation as they enticed golfers with their refreshming lemonade on a sunny day.

The Air Canada Foundation was proud to welcome AMADEUS as Presenting Partner of this year's event, which was supported by more than 100 Canadian, American and international corporations and organizations.

This year's Patrons of Honour included AAR, Air Canada, Air Georgian, Airbase Canada, SAP Ariba, Bell canada, Bombarider, CIBC Capital Markets, CITI, Exxon Mobil, GA Telesis, GE Aviation, HSBC, Jazz Aviation LP, KPMG, Macquarie Bank, Rockwell Collins, Sky Regional Airlines, Visa Canada.

A mission to help

As a registered not-for-profit organization, the Air Canada Foundation's mission is to help connect sick children to the medical care they need, grant children's wishes and alleviate child poverty.

In 2017, the Air Canada Foundation granted more than $5.4 million (financial and in-kind) to support Canadian registered charities. Funds were donated to programs or projects submitted by eligible registered charitable organizations in line with the Air Canada Foundation's mission.

Financial donations

The Air Canada Foundation provided financial support for a total amount of $1,585,300 to 50 registered charities across Canada. Some of the initiatives Air Canada Foundation helped to support include:

• Children with special needs in summer camps were treated to a more enjoyable experience thanks to Reach (formerly known as Reach for the Rainbow), which purchased adaptive equipment to ensure accessibility and security for them
• The Sainte-Justine Hospital, through Bye-Bye Allergies, opened its oral immunotherapy clinic and address severe food allergies
• The country's largest pediatric hospitals received more Fun Centres thanks to the support of the Starlight Children's Foundation Canada
• Three Aboriginal schools received the support of the Breakfast Club of Canada, which covered food and kitchen equipment purchases

In-Kind Support

• Enabled eight Dreams Take Flight trips from across Canada (Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver) for a day at Disney.
• 1,348 round trip airline tickets were donated to more than 350 charitable organizations in support their fundraising initiatives.
• Partnership with the RCMP Child Recovery Program to ensure the safe return of missing children.
• The Air Canada Foundation Hospital Transportation Program donated more than 6.65 million Aeroplan Miles to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada allowing children to access medical care not available in their own communities.
• The Air Canada Foundation Volunteer Involvement Program, which was designed to recognize the active involvement of employees in their own communities, awarded a pair of airline tickets to 80 charitable organizations for their fundraising events.

The charitable organizations supported by the Volunteer Involvement Program include:

• BC – Family Services of the North Shore
• BC / QC – Canadian Cancer Society
• QC – Fondation de l'Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal
• QC – Families for Children
• ON – Kids Connection Haiti
• ON ¬– Spinal Cord Injury Ontario
• ON – Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Ontario
• ON – Canadian Diabetes Association
• MB ¬– Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association
• NL – Newfoundland and Labrador Down Syndrome Society
• NL – Young Adult Cancer Canada
• AB – Salvation Army Kate Booth House
• NB – St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation of Saint John