The Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am Announces $2 Million Raised as 10th Annual Tournament Commences in Toronto
Canada's largest charity hockey tournament draws 35 teams to support Alzheimer's disease and related dementia care, research, innovation and education through Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto
TORONTO, April 30, 2015 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am announced 35 teams helped raise $2 million for the Baycrest Foundation, as the 10th annual event commenced in Toronto on Thursday evening. Funds raised through Canada's largest charity hockey tournament support Alzheimer's disease and related dementia care, research, innovation and education through Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto.
"We are incredibly grateful to the community of participants, NHL alumni, donors and volunteers who have enabled the 10th annual event to be an extraordinary success," said Garry Foster, President and CEO of The Baycrest Foundation.
"750,000 Canadians are affected by Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and within a generation, the number of Canadians living with the disease will increase to roughly 1.4 million if nothing changes. Baycrest is a global leader in developing and providing innovation in aging and brain health and funds raised through the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am will support our bold vision to continue to fund ongoing medical programs and services, research, and international education offering healthcare solutions for a growing senior population," Foster added.
In ten years, the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am has raised over $27 million for the Baycrest Foundation and is Canada's largest charity hockey tournament. The 2015 Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am commenced Thursday evening with a draft night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, where the highest fundraising team, Scotiabank Canadiens, received first overall draft pick of the alumni. The evening recognized Gordie Howe and presented top single fundraiser, Larry Berman, with the first annual Gordie Howe award. In addition, first year player, Michael Dobrijevic, was named Rookie of the year and the Wendel Clark award was presented to top team captain, Rich Parry.
"I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's and my mother-in-law is currently battling the disease," said Michael Weiss, a nine-year Pro-Am participant.
"I've learned so much about the disease through the tournament and I know our fundraising dollars are making a meaningful impact in the lives of those currently battling the disease, and improving Alzheimer's care for future generations. I look forward to this event every year and wouldn't miss out on this fantastic weekend," Weiss added.
Scotiabank has been the title sponsor of the Baycrest Pro-Am since 2008. Since that time, Scotiabank employees, their friends and families have raised over $2.7 million for the Baycrest Pro-Am. Funds donated by Scotiabank support programs at Baycrest Health Sciences.
"Scotiabank is proud to celebrate the 10th annual Baycrest Pro-Am tournament," said Rob Mattacott, Scotiabank's District Vice President, Toronto Centre District.
"It was a hat trick for Baycrest as we raised $2 million for a great cause, built awareness about a devastating disease, and delivered a memorable weekend of hockey with some of the sport's greatest stars. Congratulations to all. We look forward to being back again next year!"
The two-day hockey tournament will be held May 1 and 2 at Scotiabank Pond where participants will play three round-robin games. The two highest fundraising teams will compete in the Championship game on Friday, May 1 and the top 20 individual fundraisers and the Pro of their choice will play in the All Star Game on Saturday, May 2.
Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am organizers have announced that the 2016 Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am will take place on May 12, 13 and 14, 2016. Hockey enthusiasts of all abilities are encouraged to participate in the 11th annual Scotiabank Pro-Am benefiting the Baycrest Foundation.
"Register this weekend for the 11th annual event by visiting us online at www.scotiabankproam.com or by calling 1-844-GO PROAM," said Foster.
Event organizers expect hundreds of supporters to attend the games over Saturday and Sunday at the Scotiabank Pond. For more information visit www.scotiabankproam.com or 1-844 GO PROAM.
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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.
Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and parts of Asia. We are dedicated to helping our 21 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking. With a team of more than 86,000 employees and assets of $852 billion (as at January 31, 2015) Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankNews.
SOURCE Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am
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