$1.65 MILLION RAISED AS TOURNAMENT COMMENCES IN TORONTO
North America’s largest charity hockey tournament draws 33 teams to support research, innovation, education and care for Alzheimer’s disease, at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto.
Toronto, May 13, 2016 – The Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s™ in support of Baycrest announced 33 teams helped raise $1.65 million for the Baycrest Foundation, as the 11th annual event commenced in Toronto on Friday evening. Funds raised through North America’s largest charity hockey tournament supports research, innovation, education and care for Alzheimer’s disease, at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto.
“We are very thankful to our community of participants, NHL alumni, sponsors, donors and volunteers for making the 11th annual event an overwhelming success,” said Garry Foster, President and CEO of The Baycrest Foundation.
“Within a generation, 750,000 Canadians will be affected by Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. If nothing changes, the number of Canadians living with these diseases will increase to an estimated 1.4 million. Together, we can change this. Funds raised through the event, enable Baycrest Health Sciences to remain a global leader in innovation, research, education and care provision for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” Foster added.
In 11 years, the Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s™ has raised nearly $30 million for the Baycrest Foundation. The 2016 Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s™ commenced Friday evening with a draft night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, where the highest fundraising team, Team KAOS, received the first overall draft pick of the NHL alumni. The evening presented top single fundraiser, Larry Berman, with the annual Gordie Howe Award. In addition, first year player, Tom Storey, was named Rookie Of The Year and The Wendel Clark Award was presented to top team captain, Stephen Cooper.
“I am participating in the Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s to honour my grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease only a short time before she passed, and my father, who is increasingly showing signs of the disease,” said Stephen Cooper, a three-time Pro-Am participant.
“Over the past 10 years, I’ve seen the emotional, physical and financial strain that families are exposed to when Alzheimer’s disease hits close to home. It opened my eyes to realize that no family has immunity to the illness. My personal experience and my dedication to the Pro-Am has given me more awareness to enjoy moments with loved ones, make my days count and ensure that every day I wake up and embrace the challenge and adventure it puts before me. I’d encourage every hockey fan to participate in the Pro-Am because not only can we meet the NHL alumni we grew up idolizing, but we are also supporting Baycrest, a world leader,” Cooper added.
Scotiabank has been the title sponsor of the Pro-Am since 2008. The bank’s customers, employees, friends and families have raised over $3 million for the Pro-Am to support care, education and research at Baycrest Health Sciences.
“We’re honoured to help champion the work of Baycrest and the NHL alumni to support the Baycrest Foundation,” said Claude Norfolk, Senior Vice President, Toronto Region at Scotiabank.
“Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s™ allows us to bring an unforgettable experience to hockey fans and combines fundraising for health care research with our love of hockey. I want to say a special thank you and congratulations to the Pro-Am community, including the fundraisers, the athletes who make this experience so special, and to everyone taking part in the 2016 Pro-Am in Toronto,” added Norfolk.
Two days of hockey took place Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, 2016 at Scotiabank Pond, with efforts to Stick It To Alzheimer’sTM. Participants played three games and the top 20 individual fundraisers and NHL Alumni will played in the All Star Game on May 14, 2016. The two highest fundraising teams competed in the Championship Game on May 15, 2016.
Event organizers announced that the 12th annual Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s™ in Support of Baycrest will take place May 4, 5 and 6, 2017. Hockey enthusiasts of all abilities are encouraged to participate.
For more information or to register for the 12th annual event visit www.baycrestproam.ca or call 416-785-2500 x6378.
Hundreds of supporters are expected to attend the games on Friday and Saturday at Scotiabank Pond and everyone is invited to come out and meet one of the 30 alumni players who be participating, by making a required donation at the door. For a list of alumni players visit: https://proam.baycrest.org/nhl-alumni/
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ABOUT BAYCREST FOUNDATION:
The Baycrest Foundation’s mission is to enrich the quality of life of the community by supporting programs and services that promote excellence in care, research, education and innovation in the field of aging. The Foundation helps provide crucial funding to Baycrest Health Sciences to support areas such as: ongoing medical programs and services for seniors living in our community; innovative research into cognition, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke and aging brain health; and local, national, and international education that supports healthy aging and healthcare solutions for a growing senior population. For more information visit www.baycrest.org.
ABOUT BAYCREST HEALTH SCIENCES: Headquartered on a 22-acre campus and fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest is unique in the world, combining a comprehensive system of care for aging adults, one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience (the Rotman Research Institute), dedicated centres focused on mitigating the impact of age-related illness and impairment, and unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity. Baycrest was recently ranked by Accreditation Canada as among the top five per cent of healthcare organizations in Canada for delivering excellence in care, patient safety and corporate operations. For more information, visit baycrest.org.
ABOUT SCOTIABANK:
Through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world.
Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Vancouver Canucks®, Winnipeg Jets®, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Ottawa Senators®, Edmonton Oilers® and the Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Across Canadian communities coast to coast, Scotiabank’s Community Hockey Sponsorship Program reaches out to over 5,000 minor hockey teams. To find out more about Scotiabank’s hockey programs, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com/the5thseason.
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