ImagiNation campaign raises first $2 million for para-sport development in Canada through groundbreaking gifts

 

 TORONTO, January 25, 2018 – Canadian Paralympic Committee – The Paralympic Foundation of Canada is one-third of the way towards reaching its $6 million-dollar goal for the ImagiNation campaign thanks to generous $1 million and $500,000 gifts from new lead campaign partners Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Pfizer Canada, respectively.

 

A historic fundraising campaign, ImagiNation is aimed at providing an opportunity for all Canadians with a disability to choose sport and to become athletes. By raising $6 million over four years, the ImagiNation campaign will also leverage a Government of Canada matching commitment of $4 million to total an unprecedented $10 million investment in Canadian athletes with a disability.

 

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Pfizer Canada have come on board as the first two lead campaign partners, adding to their longstanding commitments to the Paralympic movement. Thanks to a $1 million gift from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities through their Play Finds a Way movement, a $500,000 contribution from Pfizer Canada, and an additional half a million dollars from other organizations and individuals, the ImagiNation campaign is off to a strong start. However, further support from corporations and individuals will be needed to raise the remaining $4 million by 2021 to have the greatest impact on the Canadian parasport community. 

 

The funds raised will be directed towards two areas: early athlete development and ensuring there are no barriers for people with disabilities to become athletes, and providing additional support for next-generation athletes with the potential to represent Canada on the global stage through coaching, training and competition opportunities, sport science and medicine, and improved equipment.

 

The Paralympic Foundation of Canada is the philanthropic arm of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, with a mandate of raising funds to support the programs of the CPC. For more information about the ImagiNation campaign, please visit paralympic.ca/imagination.

 

 

Jim Westlake, Chair, Paralympic Foundation of Canada:“We are immensely grateful for the support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, Pfizer Canada, and our other donors for their support. These gifts are a great launching pad for ImagiNation as we look towards reaching our $6 million goal, and will go a long way towards making sport accessible and available to all. We have an incredible opportunity with this campaign to make a significant impact on parasport in Canada and the lives of many Canadians with a disability.”

 

Gerry Stefanatos, General Manager, Pfizer Essential Health, Canada: “Far too many of the five million Canadians living with a disability are not accessing the health benefits of participating in sport. Pfizer Canada is proud to support the ImagiNation campaign and is committed to ensuring that all Canadians living with a disability can participate in sport. We’re proud to join the Federal Government and other donors in a movement that we have financially supported since 1996, and will continue to support for as long as we are able.”

 

Scott Fraser, President of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities: “At Jumpstart, we understand the important role sport plays in the lives of Canadians, and are dedicated to helping remove the barriers to play that kids and families face. We are proud to support the ImagiNation campaign and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada’s mandate of providing more opportunities for Canadians living with disabilities to get active.”

 

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charity dedicated to helping kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in order to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. With an extensive, national network of more than 1,900 Community Partners and nearly 300 local chapters, Jumpstart helps eligible families cover the costs of registration, transportation, and equipment, and provides funding to selected organizations for recreational infrastructure and programming. Supported by the Government of Canada through Sport Canada and the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, which includes Canadian Tire, PartSource, Gas+, Sport Chek, Atmosphere, National Sports, Sports Experts, Mark’s and Canadian Tire Financial Services, Jumpstart has enabled 1.5 million Canadian kids and counting to get in the game since 2005. Follow Jumpstart on Twitter and Facebook to learn about how the charity is giving kids across Canada a sporting chance.

About Pfizer Canada

Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most prescribed medicines, vaccines and consumer health products. Every day, Pfizer Canada employees work to bring therapies to patients that significantly improve patients’ lives. We apply science and our global resources to improve the health and well-being of Canadians at every stage of life. Our commitment is reflected in everything we do, from our disease awareness initiatives to our community partnerships. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/PfizerCA) or Facebook (facebook.com/Pfizer.Canada).

 

About Paralympic Foundation of Canada 
Established in 2015, the Paralympic Foundation of Canada (PFC) is a Registered Charitable Foundation (813904190RR0001) and is the new philanthropic arm of the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) with a mandate to raise funds to support the programs and activities of the CPC. Our goal is to ensure that the programs, equipment and people are in place to propel more Canadians with a disability all the way from their communities to the Paralympic podium.

 

About Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca

 

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Nicole Watts

Manager, Public Relations

Canadian Paralympic Committee

613-569-4333 x262 / 613-462-2700

 

Martin Richard
Executive Director, Communications and Brand
Canadian Paralympic Committee
mrichard@paralympic.ca 
613-569-4333 x224