Mining Community Raises $1.2 Million for BC Children's Hospital at the Teck Celebrity Pie Throw
Marketwired
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 12, 2016) - Mining for Miracles, the BC mining community's longstanding fundraising campaign for BC Children's Hospital, raised $1,206,704 on May 12 at its signature event - the Teck Celebrity Pie Throw. Participants raised funds by volunteering to take a pie in the face and asking friends, family and colleagues to pledge their support.
This year, representatives from Amec Foster Wheeler, Ausenco, AMEBC, BC Children's Hospital, CIM, CP Rail, Fluor, Finning, Goldcorp, Golder Associates, Hatch, Kaminak, MABC, McMillan, New Gold, OceanaGold, Oxygen Capital, PDAC, Sandstorm Gold, Teck and Westshore Terminals participated in the Pie Throw.
"The BC mining sector has a proud tradition of giving back to communities and I'd like to congratulate all the participants, volunteers and donors from across the industry for raising these funds in support of child health in BC," said Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines.
"Every year, leaders from the mining industry bring a spirit of generosity and a great sense of fun to the Teck Celebrity Pie Throw," said Teri Nicholas, president and CEO of BC Children's Hospital Foundation. "We can always rely on them to draw a crowd, and inspire the philanthropy that transforms the lives of children and families who rely on BC Children's Hospital. This year was no exception."
"Thirty representatives from across the industry participated in the Pie Throw and soundly beat the $600,000 fundraising goal. This is a testament to their commitment and the generosity of the entire mining industry," said Jeff Hanman, chair of Mining for Miracles.
100% of proceeds from the Teck Celebrity Pie Throw will go to helping Mining for Miracles complete its $3-million pledge to finish the development of BC Children's Hospital's CAUSES Research Clinic. Hundreds of mining, exploration, development companies, service providers and suppliers across BC, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and their employees, family and friends, provided support leading up to the event.
Since the CAUSES Research Clinic opened in June 2015, more than 125 families have been seen by the CAUSES team, which offer families genetic counselling, clinical interpretation of complex testing results, and personalized recommendations for treatment.
The partnership of BC Children's Hospital Foundation and Mining for Miracles is a leading example of how industry, institutions and social-profit organizations can work together to provide world-class health care to children and families across BC. Visit www.miningformiracles.ca for more information.
About Mining for Miracles
Every year volunteers from the mining community work together through Mining for Miracles to help improve the quality of health care for children in our province. Through its support of the construction of facilities and acquisition of specialized medical equipment at the hospital, Mining for Miracles is helping to keep BC Children's Hospital at the forefront of pediatric care excellence. Visit www.miningformiracles.ca for more information and to donate.
About the CAUSES Research Clinic
The CAUSES Research Clinic provides genome-wide sequencing to support the efficient diagnosis of rare genetic diseases in children who would otherwise require numerous tests or might not be diagnosed at all. There are 7,000 known rare disorders and CAUSES uses a single genomic test to look for all of these.
If advanced DNA testing identifies a child with a treatable condition, then treatment can be started earlier. For some children, this will be life-changing. Obtaining the right treatment earlier will help prevent medical complications and save lives. The CAUSES Research Clinic is made possible by a $3-million commitment from Mining for Miracles through BC Children's Hospital Foundation and is supported by the Provincial Health Services Authority and the University of British Columbia. Genome British Columbia has also agreed to support the CAUSES Research Clinic for up to an additional $1 million. The CAUSES Research Clinic will ensure that BC Children's Hospital remains a centre of excellence providing outstanding care to the children and families of British Columbia.
The CAUSES Research Clinic:
Tests at least 500 children and family members within the next three years to identify illnesses that would previously have gone undiagnosed;
Provides genetic counselling, interpretation of complex testing results, and personalized treatment recommendations for children who receive a diagnosis from the clinic's genome-wide sequencing;
Helps reduce the number of invasive tests - such as biopsies, biochemical tests, expensive single gene tests, or MRI scans often requiring sedation - needed to obtain a diagnosis for children. This reduces the average number of tests per child required for a diagnosis from 10 or more to one, resulting in significant savings for both families and the health-care system;
Helps to prevent medical complications. In cases where advanced DNA testing identifies a treatable condition in a child, treatment can be started immediately. Obtaining the right treatment earlier helps prevent medical complications and save lives;
Partners with the BC Children's Hospital BioBank to store biological samples donated by patients, which will contribute to significant research discoveries.
