June 16, 2017 (TORONTO) – The 2017 WICC Relay For Life is very pleased to have raised a record $533,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Each June, Relay For Life events take place across Canada and the amount raised by the WICC-hosted event in Toronto is the largest of any Relay event anywhere, to date. This already impressive sum is expected to grow in the coming weeks as companies match their employee’s fundraising efforts. The annual insurance industry-hosted Relay For Life took place in Toronto on Friday, June 16 at Downsview Park from 6 p.m. to midnight.
“Our Relay For Life is a great event that brings insurance colleagues and their friends and families together in a true team effort to raise money for cancer research,” said Relay For Life Co-Chair Shari Dodsworth, Senior Vice President, Sales & Distribution at Northbridge Insurance. “Funding research is essential to progress, and it’s our way of helping to eliminate cancer from our vocabulary.”
WICC has supported Relay For Life for the last eight years and continues to be a very significant corporate contributor through sponsorship and fundraising. Relay For Life is the Canadian Cancer Society’s signature fundraiser walk. This year, Relay engaged 44 teams and a total of 505 individuals.
“We’re so proud of how the Relay event and the money it raises continue to grow,” said Paul Martin, Relay For Life Past Co-Chair and President and COO of RRJ Insurance Group. “The insurance industry has really stepped up to the challenge and backs its commitment to support the health of people in their local communities.”
A perfect example of this commitment is found at Economical Insurance, where the company’s national Relay sponsorship dollars already total more than $102,000 this year.
“At Economical, how we operate reflects our values and who we are as a company,” said Tom Reikman, Economical’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. “Many of us have experienced cancer in some way, and it’s important for Economical to help fund cancer research, both as an employer and insurance provider.”
Since 1947, CCS has put collective donations of more than $1.4 billion toward research which has led to new technology and innovations.