Western Financial Group Employees Walk to Support Their Communities

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HIGH RIVER, AB, May 27, 2013 /CNW/ - On Wednesday, May 29, 2013, Western Financial Group's (Western) approximately 1,600 employees will take to the road at 10 a.m. in more than 100 locations across Western Canada to walk 5 km to raise money for community projects, bursaries, public health and more through Support The Cause Day. This year will mark the ninth edition of Western's Support The Cause Day walk, which has raised more than $426,000 over the years for the Western Communities Foundation, a non-profit organization that gives back to the communities that Western Financial Group serves.

"Last year, Support The Cause Day raised nearly $90,000 for the Western Communities Foundation," said John Jenner, vice-president of marketing and communications at Western Financial Group and executive director of the Western Communities Foundation. "This year, we hope to surpass last year's total. All the money we raise we will in turn give back to communities across Western Canada."

The Foundation's annual Support The Cause Day walk will begin at each local Western Financial Group branch and business office. All participating employees will wear a bright red Support The Cause T-shirt. Money raised from Support The Cause Day goes toward community infrastructure grants, student bursaries and other worthwhile endeavours that support public health, recreation and education in communities Western serves.

"Our employees are proud to participate in Support The Cause Day," said Jenner. "They can see the impact of their actions throughout the year but especially when we distribute our infrastructure grants. Earlier this year, we were able to distribute 14 grants of $5,000 each to communities across Western Canada for everything from playground equipment to community centre upgrades to museum expansions."

To help raise money, Western donates $50 per participating employee which is topped up by pledges employees personally gather from members of their community. All the money donated by Western and gathered by employees goes to the Western Communities Foundation. Individuals can make donations online toward Support The Cause Day by visiting www.supportthecause.ca.

The Western Communities Foundation was founded by Western Financial Group in 2001 as a non-profit organization under the Income Tax Act of Canada (Registration #87030 2619 RR0001).

Western Financial Group is a western Canada based, diversified, financial services company serving more than 600,000 customers. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in High River, Alberta, Western provides insurance services through more than 120 office locations and the Internet (www.westernfinancialgroup.ca). With a skilled team of approximately 1,600 employees, and backed by the strong resources of its owners, Western is committed to building the strongest financial services company in Western Canada.

Western Financial Group is a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada.

SOURCE: Western Financial Group

For further information:

Eric Michalko

Manager - Sponsorships, Digital Marketing & Public Relations
Western Financial Group
Phone: [phone], ext. 524
Cell: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]