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:
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, recently 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
Sun Life has renewed its commitment as the sole international partner of the Canadian Red Cross through the Sun Life Financial International Response Fund. This support enables the Canadian Red Cross to react quickly to international disaster relief efforts. Sun Life’s relationship with the Red Cross stretches back to 1927 when the company first supported their humanitarian relief efforts.
ACT Foundation of Canada
Sun Life is a provincial partner of the ACT High School CPR Program, donating funds to bring the lifesaving program to Quebec high schools. With our support, the program has expanded from 42 to more than 260 schools since 2004. Over 70,000 Quebec students have been trained to provide CPR in emergency situations. Mannequins and curriculum resources are donated to schools and teachers are trained as CPR instructors for their students.
ParticipACTION Sun Life – Inspire the nation
Sun Life has teamed with ParticipACTION, the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. The ParticipACTION Sun Life – Inspire the nation tour will travel to communities across Canada this summer, encouraging people to get moving. The tour is an extension of ParticipACTION’s ‘Get Inspired. Get Moving.’ public awareness campaign, celebrating individuals who’ve incorporated physical activity into their lifestyle, inspiring others to do the same.
Sun Life Stanley Dragon Boat Championships, Hong Kong
Sun Life Hong Kong is once again title sponsor of the Sun Life Stanley Dragon Boat Championships. Held at Stanley Beach in Hong Kong on May 28, the race is one of the world's largest dragon boat events.
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.
Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre
Sun Life donated $100,000 to Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Canada, in support of the hospital’s palliative care program for children and their families. The goal of palliative care is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing life-limiting illnesses. With Sun Life’s gift, the hospital has hired a dedicated paediatric nurse practitioner who will lead and strengthen palliative care services at the hospital.
One Night Live™
As presenting sponsor of the One Night Live™ concert in Toronto, Canada, again this year, Sun Life continued its support of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Women & Babies Program. This important benefit concert raised over $2 million in support of a new, state-of-the-art facility for births, high-risk pregnancies and critically ill newborns.
The concert held on Thursday, May 21, headlined Grammy® Award-winning international artists Sting and Sheryl Crow and featured The Canadian Tenors, with MC Chris "Mr. Big" Noth.
Toronto Public Library Foundation’s Museum + Arts Pass Program
For the second year, Sun Life is working with the Toronto Public Library Foundation to provide the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass (MAP) Program. As part of our Making the Arts More Accessible™ program, the MAP program provides free family admission to many of Toronto’s arts and cultural venues. The pass can be borrowed from any of the 99 Toronto Public Library branches upon presentation of a valid adult library card.
Sun Life is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the National Gallery of Canada’s exhibition From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome from May 29 to September 6, 2009. This exhibit of approximately 150 paintings and drawings is a unique group of works by some of the most celebrated names in Italian art. Ottawa is the only venue for this exhibition that highlights one of the most significant periods in art history –16th century Rome.
Montreal General Hospital
Sun Life's donation to the Montreal General Hospital will establish 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.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s “Restart a Heart, Restart a Life Campaign”
Sun Life continues its strong support of health-related charities in Canada with an $84,000 donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to fund the “Restart a Heart, Restart a Life Campaign”. Sun Life’s donation purchased 24 Automated External Defibrillator (AEDs) units and funded the associated training of up to 192 people. As a result, the Region of Waterloo will be the first in Ontario, and perhaps in Canada, to have AEDs available throughout their community.
Vancouver International Children’s Festival’s Adopt a Class program
The Vancouver International Children’s Festival’s Adopt a Class program is an 8-day event featuring acclaimed international and Canadian artists. Our funding enabled up to 700 children from inner city schools in neighbourhoods across Greater Vancouver to attend the Festival.
Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye
The Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye and the Schulich School of Music at McGill University expose Greater Montreal area high school students to a variety of instrumental musical genres by merging young virtuosos with young audiences. Sun Life’s support helps make the arts more accessible and inspiring each and every day.
University of New Brunswick and Sun Life team to open the Sun Life Financial Fitness and Lifestyle Assessment Centre in 2010
Sun Life contributed $250,000 to the University of New Brunswick to create the Sun Life Financial Fitness and Lifestyle Assessment Centre currently under construction on the Fredericton campus of the university.
Scheduled to open in 2010, the centre will provide fitness assessments and lifestyle programming for individuals in the community, university students, faculty and staff as well as the RCMP, police departments and various provincial government departments. Our support will also permit significant expansion of the existing Pediatric Obesity Clinic, where researchers and students work with obese children to transform their health.
Montreal Heart Institute
With Sun Life’s gift, the Montreal Heart Institute will develop a turn-key program to help other health institutions, in Canada and abroad, establish prevention and rehabilitation centres. Educational programs for elementary and secondary school students will also be developed to help address the issue of obesity among young people.
Soulpepper Theatre Company’s Rush Program
The Soulpepper Theatre Company, based in Toronto, has established a stellar reputation as one of Canada’s best and brightest theatre troupes. Sun Life is one of Soulpepper’s three lead sponsors, as well as sponsor of their “Rush Program”, which provides theatre-goers with a significant discount on tickets. This partnership is just one example of Sun Life’s strong commitment to making the arts more accessible.
In their own words
"Sun Life has been integral in bringing the lifesaving ACT High School CPR Program to students in 260 schools across Quebec. As a result of their continued support, more than 70,000 youth have been empowered to react in emergencies and many lives have been saved."
Sandra Clarke, Executive Director
ACT Foundation of Canada
