Record participation and more than $2.3 million raised for sick and underprivileged children
MONT-TREMBLANT, QC, Dec. 7, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The numbers are in: 17,775 downhill runs; 74,655 km walked or run; 1,150 litres of coffee; 17,000 donors; 200 volunteers. And 24 hours later, $2,302,642 in donations!
The atmosphere bordered on delirium as the 14th edition of Tremblant's 24h of Skiing and 24h Walk & Run concluded with a record number of 2,300 participants skiing, walking or running over the finish line at Mont Tremblant Resort. The charity event raised an unprecedented $2.3 million in donations to benefit a single cause: children in need.
"I'm still in shock. Thanks to the combined efforts of the 24h of Skiing and the 24h Walk & Run, we exceeded our goal by a long shot," said a visibly moved Patrice Malo, president of the Tremblant 24h Foundation. "The generosity shown by all participants, donors, and everyone else who collaborated on this big event was incredible. I thank them personally for their engagement and for having made this edition such a massive success. This was, without any doubt, the best edition of Tremblant's 24h and we are already eagerly looking ahead to next year's 15th anniversary celebrations."
Together for the children
Year after year, Tremblant's 24h event relies on an impressive roster of ambassadors who are enlisted to support the hard work of the participating teams. This year's public figures were Benoît Gagnon, Philippe Fehmiu, Mario Tessier, Anne-Marie Withenshaw, Dominic Arpin and Marie-Claude Sabourin, along with Lianne Laing and Stuntman Stu as representatives of the Ottawa Senators Foundation. We also had the pleasure of the company of Martin Matte, on behalf of the eponymous foundation, and Pierre Bruneau and Paul Doucet for the Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau. Joining these three important foundations benefiting from the event was the Tremblant Foundation.
Each participating team was symbolically paired with one of 14 sponsored children. "Combining the 24h of Skiing and the 24h Walk & Run has taken the event to another level and leads us to believe that even after 14 years, this extraordinary event has not achieved the full potential in its mission to support our beneficiaries," said Simon St-Arnaud, Tremblant 24h executive producer.
A number of other public figures were on hand to provide assistance and moral support to the teams and ambassadors. They included Les Grandes Gueules, Brigitte Boisjoli, Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Patrice Godin, Jean-François Guérin, Sébastien Diaz, Pierre Lavoie and Martin Lemay, to name just a few.
The event would not have been possible without the dedication of the teams, who were largely responsible for raising the astonishing donation total. The three top ski teams in the donation drive were: Oven Baked Tradition/BFI Canada; Brookfield 1; and Les Vieux Bambous of Morin Heights, who raised $132,060.24, $96,589.20, and $75,150 respectively. The running and walking teams with the most donations were: Schneider Electric 1 ($25,475.39); Les Talons fringants ($20,640) and Hôtel Fairmont-Les arbres de l'espoir ($17,567).
This year's schedule of events introduced a new evening concept, the "Full Moon at the Summit" opening party on Friday night. The musical event took place under the masterful direction of Mélissa Lavergne. Performances by Betty Bonifassi and Valérie Daure rocked the crowd at the Grand Manitou at the summit of Tremblant mountain.
Another musical highlight was, of course, the concert at the foot of the slopes on Saturday night, featuring the band Final State. From 9 p.m. onwards, the main stage and environs reverberated with the sounds of David Laflèche and an impressive lineup of artists and musicians -- Alex Nevski, Radio Radio, Nadja, Jonas, Brigitte Boisjoli, Jérôme Couture, André Papanicolaou, Joseph Edgar, Laurent Bourque – who got the spectators up and dancing. DJ Shortcut took over with a mix of music that kept everyone going until the wee hours of the morning.
Major beneficiaries and partners
The event beneficiaries were Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau, Fondation Martin-Matte, the Tremblant Foundation and the Ottawa Senators Foundation. We should also mention that the event was made possible with the invaluable presence of such wonderful sponsors and donors as Manulife, TELUS, Kombi, Sunice, CRI Agence, CGI, Keurig, Coca Cola, the Brookfield Renewable Energy Group and Mont Tremblant Resort who, year after year, have renewed their generous support of Tremblant's 24h.
"Manulife keenly feels the importance of improving the quality of life in the communities where we live, work, and provide services," said Robert Tellier, regional vice-president of Manulife. "For this edition of Tremblant's 24h, we had seven teams of advisors and employees who raised $80,000 for the organisations working on behalf of children and helping to improve the lives of underprivileged families."
Benoit Simard, vice-president of Business Marketing with TELUS Quebec, expressed similar heartfelt sentiments. "Our association with Tremblant's 24h for the 10th year means that TELUS and its team have contributed to an important cause: helping to improve the health and welfare of children in Quebec. Since the very first days of our partnership, our company has remitted over $720,000 to the cause. We're putting our philosophy – "give where you live" – into action by supporting initiatives like this, one which focuses particularly on health care and social engagement. Both are top priorities for TELUS."
CGI was also proud to participate in Tremblant's 24h for the seventh consecutive year. With four teams in this year's challenge, the CGI crew raised more than $60,000 for a cause they hold dear. As a technology partner of the event, CGI was also pleased to offer its expertise in finding solutions for the Tremblant 24h online transactional platform. At CGI, community involvement is a core value.
Brookfield Renewable Energy Group was also pleased with the results. "We thank the employees, family members and friends who supported us and helped us go beyond our target. We were happy to be able to give a donation cheque to Tremblant's 24h in the amount of $240,000," said Richard Legault, president and CEO.
The invitation to the 15th anniversary edition is already being extended. We look forward to seeing you next December 2015!
About Tremblant's 24h
Each year Tremblant's 24h event attracts more than 25,000 people, including close to 2,000 participants, sponsors, celebrities, musicians and journalists. The primary activity is a team skiing relay challenge for 24 consecutive hours on Tremblant's slopes. Teams of skiers, walkers, and runners compete to see who can cover the most kilometres over the 24-hour period, and also to raise the most funds for the recipient organisations which work for the benefit of children. Tremblant's 24h is the most anticipated social and sporting event in the area. More than $15 million has been raised since 2001 for sick or underprivileged children.
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CNW is a proud broadcasting sponsor of Tremblant's 24h.
Image with caption: ": It is with pride that Tremblant’s 24h unveiled on December 7, after 24 hours of skiing, walking and running, the highest amount of donations ever raised: $2,302,643! (CNW Group/24h de Tremblant)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141207_C6831_PHOTO_EN_9123.jpg
SOURCE: 24h de Tremblant
About Tremblant's 24h: Marie-Pier Kenney, Morin Relations Publiques, T. 514 289-8688, ext. 237, C. 514 757-8619, [email protected]
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