Donations & sponsorships

At Sun Life, we’re proud of our reputation as a good corporate citizen. But what does that mean on a global scale?

It means we give back to the communities where we live, work and do business. From Canada and the U.S. to Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines, we’re making our charitable mark through donations and sponsorships to a wide range of charities, cultural organizations and causes.

Here are some of the causes we supported in the past year:

Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships 2010, Hong Kong
Sun Life Hong Kong's signature event is the Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships. Held at Stanley Beach in Hong Kong, it is one of the world's largest dragon boat events. The 2010 races attracted more than 200 teams and 30,000 spectators.

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, Halifax, Canada
The Sun Life Financial Chair in Design for Health and Aging at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University is the first partnership of its kind with a Canadian visual arts university. Industrial / product designer Professor Hougan (Chair) and his team will explore the role design can play in addressing health issues and the societal shift associated with an aging population. This work will help promote a healthier and safer living environment for Canada’s most vulnerable citizens.

Culture Days in Canada
Sun Life is the presenting sponsor of Culture Days, a new, collaborative volunteer initiative providing individuals across Canada the opportunity to attend free arts and culture events and activities. Launching September 2010, the annual program will enable the public to explore the behind-the-scenes work of artists, creators, historians, curators and designers who live and work in their communities.

SunPIOLOgy 2010 calendar, Philippines
Sun Life in the Philippines has teamed with Filipino film and television actor, model and musician Piolo Pascual to create a desktop calendar showcasing the star's first photography collection. The proceeds of the 2010 SunPIOLOgy calendar were donated to Piolo's Hebreo Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting education. The partnership continues next year, with a 2011 edition of SunPIOLOgy. Read more about the SunPIOLOgy partnership.

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Sun Life supports the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), an organization committed to the participation of Aboriginal people and communities in Canada’s economy. A portion of our funding provides 8 scholarships and 2 bursaries each year through the Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth - a national CCAB-administered program. The bursaries are given to Aboriginal high school students as in incentive to stay in school, and the scholarships are directed to post-secondary students to assist with financing their education.

Sun Bright for education in Indonesia
Since 2006, Sun Life Indonesia has supported education through its Sun Bright program, providing donations to public elementary schools and scholarships and public lecture programs at the university level.

In 2009, the company donated library books and educational support facilities to schools in Medan, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Bali and renovated an elementary school library in Jakarta. Scholarships were also awarded to more than 60 university students from 6 leading state universities throughout Indonesia. Read more about Indonesia's Sun Bright program.

Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Sun Life has donated funds in support of the newly named Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre (MDRC) at Wilfrid Laurier University. The only one of its kind in Canada, the centre is home to leading authorities on exercise rehabilitation for those affected by movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. The MDRC team also conducts research and evaluates internationally developed treatment strategies. Patients from Canada, the U.S. and Europe have completed the exercise rehabilitation program at the centre.

Bridgepoint Health, Toronto
The Sun Life Financial Health Information Centre, established at Bridgepoint Hospital, provides information and customized research to people living with more than one chronic condition, known as Complex Chronic Disease (CCD). Almost 70% of Canadians over age 45 live with 2 or more of these conditions, including cancer, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, heart disease and osteoporosis.

The centre and its related website will provide patients, clinicians, caregivers, families and members of the community with information to help prevent and manage these chronic conditions. Bridgepoint Health is Canada’s only health-care organization dedicated exclusively to the prevention and treatment of CCD.

Canadian Red Cross
The Sun Life Financial International Response Fund, established in 2005, helps the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) respond immediately to international disasters. This fund, held in trust by the CRC, holds monies ready for release by Sun Life so that critical needs, including medical care, food and shelter, can be provided without delay. The fund has recently provided support for several natural disasters in countries such as Chile, Haiti, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Sun Life Stanley Dragon Boat Championships, Hong Kong
Sun Life Hong Kong is the title sponsor of the Sun Life Stanley Dragon Boat Championships. Held at Stanley Beach in Hong Kong the race is one of the world's largest dragon boat events, attracting around 30,000 paddlers and spectators.

Marshall McLuhan Prize, Philippines
Since 2007, Sun Life has sponsored the Marshall McLuhan Prize for investigative journalism excellence in the Philippines.

The award was created by the Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility, a non-profit foundation in Manila, and the Canadian embassy as a way to encourage democracy through investigative journalism.

Montreal General Hospital
Sun Life's donation to the Montreal General Hospital established the Sun Life Financial Centre for Health Outcomes and Economics Research in Cancer and Trauma Care. The Centre will be involved in projects that will provide the data and research necessary for defining standards of care. It will also be an important training facility for students in field of health outcomes, epidemiology and the economics of health care.

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