January 26/07 10:53 am - Hbc Donates Nearly $3 Million to Help Canadian Athletes, Provincial Sport Centres Benefit

Posted by Editoress on 01/26/07
 

Hbc Donates Nearly $3 Million to Help Canadian Athletes Reach Podium
Courtesy HBC

The Hbc Foundation announced Tuesday a $2.9 million donation in support of Canadian athletes, national training centres and the country's top sport organizations - all geared towards helping Canadian athletes in their quest to succeed on the world stage. The $2.9 million donation is the first installment of Hbc's seven-year commitment to raise $20 million in support of sports in Canada.

The money raised goes directly to 200 competing athletes. Remaining proceeds will be invested in sport organizations such as Commonwealth Games Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Sport Centres in, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Montreal, and the Atlantic provinces, and the Pacific Sport Institute in Victoria.

The funds were raised by the Hbc Foundation with the help of Hbc customers and associates through initiatives, such as the sale of a limited edition t-shirt, a Donate your Hbc Rewards Points program, an annual Hbc golf tournament, and a Cut-Out program, where customers could pay $1 to send an inspirational postcard to Canadian athletes competing in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.The Hbc Foundation is a leading supporter of Canadian athletes.

"We are proud to be one of Canada's largest supporters of Canadian athletes," said Michael Rousseau, President of Hbc. "These athletes dedicate their lives to competing for Canada and we're thrilled to help them achieve their dreams."

"Hbc is to be commended for its leadership in providing direct funding to athletes and organizations that help athletes across the country," said Roger Skillings, CEO of PacificSport. Athletes require a lot of support and resources ˆ from equipment, to coaching and access to sport science and training services and facilities. It's the support of long-term funding partners like Hbc that enables our athletes to concentrate on training and improving their performance to ensure they're prepared to compete on the world stage."

"Without the much needed funds required to compete on an international level, many talented athletes end up leaving sport altogether," said Simon Whitfield, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medalist in triathlon. "Hbc's continued support of Canadian athletes and the various training facilities will ensure our athletes are geared up and ready for all the competitions leading up to Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and beyond."

Provincial Specifics

Atlantic
The Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA) received a $50,000 donation from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions from the retailer to support Canada's amateur athletes.

Hbc's donation will be used to hire experts in performance areas such as strength training, mental training and technique analysis. These services will be available to over 160 individual national level athletes from across all four Atlantic Provinces. In addition to this service, the Centre also facilitates training groups and provides coaching development through the National Coaching Institute, a joint venture with the national network of sport centres. Full Press Release

Quebec
The Canadian Sport Centre-Montreal (CSC-Montreal) received a $50, 000 donation from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer to support Canada's athletes. This year's contribution will be used to extend athlete access to the Centre's weight training facility, as well as to improve scientific services to help our athletes reach their potential.

Part of the Hbc grant will be used to extend the opening hours of the CSC-Montreal's weight training facility, giving greater access to a larger number of athletes. The remaining funds will be used to increase the scientific services offered to athletes such as nutrition counseling, physiological testing and biomechanical analysis. Scientific services contribute to the improvement of sport performances through evaluations, analyses and specific programs, and are essential to athletes performing at an elite level. Full Press Release

Ontario
The Canadian Sport Centre Ontario (CSC) received a $50,000 donation from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer in support of Canadian athletes. The contribution will be used to provide funding to ten talented Canadian athletes who will each receive $3,000, as well as to develop a Performance Enhancement Centre (PEC) to help Ontario's athletes reach their potential.Full Press Release


Manitoba
Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSM) will receive $50,000/year for seven-years

The CSCM will use the financial support from the Hbc Foundation to help offset the costs associated with training and competitions for Manitoba's high performance athletes.Additionally, the enhanced funding will assist in the hiring of leading-edge full-time professionals in sport physiology and sport psychology.Full Press Release

Saskatchewan
The Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan (CSCS) received a $50,000 donation from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer to support Canadian athletes. The funding will be used to enhance existing training and performance programs and services and introduce the Hbc Harvest of Gold, an athlete networking event.

This funding from Hbc will enable the CSCS to coordinate events such as the Hbc Harvest of Gold, and a series of training sessions with the Sport Medicine and Science partners.These events will bring current and previous athletes together to network; share successes and challenges; and exchange vital information for their mental and physical preparation leading into major competitions.Full Press Release

Alberta
The Canadian Sport Centre Calgary received a $50,000 donation from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer in support of Canada's athletes. The much needed funds will be used to fund Fuel For Gold, a program that ensures Canadian athletes have proper nutrition while training to compete on the world stage.
Full Press Release

BC
PacificSport received a $300,000 contribution from Hudson's Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer to support Canada's athletes. The $300,000 will be used for PacificSport's capital campaign for the construction of the Pacific Sport Institute in Victoria, a joint venture with Camosun College.

The full PacificSport press release is HERE