Over 8,000 people walked and ran to support youth mental health
TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - It was a high energy crowd that walked, ran and in a few cases danced at the 3rd annual RBC Run for the Kids to show their support for youth mental health. The event raised $2 million, benefitting the Family Navigation Project at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Anthony Levitt was thrilled by the community's response: "The level of commitment and enthusiasm from the fantastic crowd of supporters shows our youth that their mental health matters. Thanks to our partner RBC and with the funds raised today, we will be able to positively impact the lives of many more families touched by mental illness and addiction." Dr. Levitt is the Medical Director of the Family Navigation Project and Chief of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook.
The RBC Run for the Kids supports the Family Navigation Project (FNP) and helped launch the program in June 2014. The project was initiated by parents frustrated by the challenges in finding their way through the mental health care system to get help for their children struggling with mental illness and addiction. The project partners families with professionals who are knowledgeable about what services exist and guide families toward the right care at the right time.
The RBC Children's Mental Health Project is a multi-year philanthropic commitment to support community-based and hospital programs that provide youth and families with immediate access to services, as well as technology-based solutions, such as online and telephone services. The RBC Children's Mental Health Project is part of the RBC Kids Pledge, a five-year, $100 million commitment to improve the well-being of one million kids and youth.
Jamie Anderson, deputy chair, RBC Capital Markets and executive champion of the RBC Children's Mental Health Project says, "today, we showed our passion and commitment in taking care of the youth in our community. I am proud of RBC's partnership with Sunnybrook, which goes beyond our financial contribution, as we had 5,700 employees participate today, and that's a remarkable demonstration of support from our staff."
The run started and finished at Mel Lastman Square in North York and included three distances – a 5km walk/run, a 7km run and a 15km run. This was the third year for the race, which is part of the RBC Race for the Kids series, now held in eight locations around the world. To date, the Toronto RBC Run for the Kids has raised over $5 million since its inception.
About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the 1.2 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 13,000 staff, students and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada's premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for high-risk pregnancies, critically-ill newborns and adults, offering specialized rehabilitation and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and psychiatric disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries. The Hospital also has a unique and national leading program for the care of Canada's war veterans. For more information about how Sunnybrook is inventing the future of health care please visit us online at www.sunnybrook.ca.
About RBC's Commitment to Community and Sustainability
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) is Canada's largest bank and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 38 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com. RBC is recognized among the world's financial, social and environmental leaders and is listed on the DJSI North American Index, the Jantzi Social Index and the FTSE4Good Index. RBC is one of Canada's Greenest Employers, and one of Canada's 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations.
RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2014, we contributed more than $111 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $76 million and $35 million in sponsorships.
SOURCE Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Image with caption: "Over 8,000 participants ran, walked and strolled in the 3rd annual RBC Run for the Kids, raising $2 million benefitting youth mental health. (CNW Group/Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150919_C6124_PHOTO_EN_501620.jpg
For additional information or to confirm attendance/interviews, please contact: Nadia Radovini, Communications Advisor, Sunnybrook, 416-480-4040 (416-671-9147 on event day), [email protected]; André C. Roberts, RBC Brand and Corporate Citizenship Communications, 416-313-7436 (647-535-6574 on event day), [email protected]
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