Please support Cycle for Wishes II from Montreal to Quebec City to kick-start the 2015 RIMS Canada Conference

This is an opportunity for the Canadian Insurance Industry to help share the power of a wish^®

In 2011 your industry friends and colleagues embarked on an inaugural four day five hundred kilometre cycle between Toronto and Ottawa to raise funds for Make-A-Wish^® and to kick start the 2011 Canadian RIMS conference. That first Cycle for Wishes team was brought together by John Haas of Integro (Canada) Ltd. and consisted of 11 enthusiastic cyclists and 4 well organized support team members.  It was a fun, rewarding and memorable experience. 

Most rewarding was that we helped grant five kids their wishes by raising over $53,000. This amount far exceeded our expectations and was only accomplished through the help of our committed corporate supporters, friends, family members and industry colleagues who all donated generously.

The Cycle for Wishes team is at it again.  On Wednesday September 23^rd over 20 insurance industry professionals from around the world will depart Montreal, and five hundred kilometers later, arrive in Quebec City on Saturday September 26^th to kick-start the RIMS Canada Conference 2015, Panorama, in Quebec City. Our 2015 goal is raise in excess of $55,000 for Make-A-Wish^® Canada.

To succeed we need your help. We would greatly appreciate your company becoming one of the team’s Corporate Champions.  You can become our Champion by:

1)      Donating $3,000 directly to Make-A-Wish^® Canada via the Cycle for Wishes 2015 team page. This process will generate a charitable tax receipt;

2)      Sponsoring a rider by sending a cheque in the amount of $500 payable to Integro (Canada) Ltd. Identify that the cheque is for the 2015 Cycle for Wishes team. Integro will hold these funds in trust.  The funds will be used to offset personal expenses of team members. Any excess funds will be paid to Make-A-Wish^®. A charitable tax receipt will not be issued for rider sponsorship. Please contact John Haas to arrange: John.Haas@integrogroup.com

Our current Team of Riders includes: 

• Patrick Bourk                                      Integro
• John Haas                                          Integro
• Mark Rankin                                       Integro
• Pam Rankin                                       Integro
• John Clements                                  Tara Investments
• Pascale Samson                              AIG
• Jean-Francois Bilodeau                  RSS
• Louis-Thomas Labbe                      GPL
• Christian Giner                                  GPL
• Mike Wills                                            Eagle Underwriting
• Mike Quatrale                                     Liberty
• Nick Bush                                           Swiss Re
• Robert Hunziker                                Swiss Re
• Kelly Tomenson                                Zurich
• Debbie Oleskiw                                 Zurich
• Dave Swindells                                  Zurich
• Richard Grant                                    Trisura
• Lindsey Bellinger                              Aviva
• Ted Bellinger                                     Encon
• Murn Meyrick                                      Grey Swan

 

Your support will allow Make-A-Wish^® to continue to create powerful wish experience, improving a child’s state of mind, replacing fear with happiness and helping them to feel like a normal kid again.  Every donation counts and your commitment will help move Make-A-Wish^® closer to their vision of granting the wish of every eligible child in communities across Canada. Wishes like:

• • Maya, Age 4, Leukemia, “I wish to be a ballerina”
  • Rachel, Age 6, Ocular Melanoma, “I wish to have a butterfly garden”
  • Damian, Age 12, Cancer, “I wish to be a paleontologist”
  • Annabelle, Age 4, Cancer, “I wish to meet my favorite princess”
  • Owen, Age 4, Heart Condition, “I wish to be a firefighter”

 

Fact Sheet

1. Our mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
2. Wish children range from ages three through 17 and must have a medical condition in a life-threatening stage. Wishes typically fall into four categories:  I wish to have; I wish to be; I wish to go, and I wish to meet. Wishes come through a referral process. Make-A-Wish^® does not solicit wishes.
3. Make-A-Wish^® Canada is an affiliate of Make-A-Wish^® International, the largest wish-granting organization in the world, making dreams and wishes come true for more than 350,000 children since 1980, with the help of over 32,000 volunteers, all dedicated to helping to share the power of a wish^®! 
4. Since its inception 32 years ago, Make-A-Wish and its 8 regional chapters have granted nearly 6,000 wishes to courageous children in Canada.
5. As a grassroots organization more than 1,000 volunteers help deliver our wish granting mission in communities across Canada.
6. In 2014, we granted close to 500 wishes from coast to coast. Today, we grant approximately one wish a day across the country.
7. Make-A-Wish is an international organization with a presence in nearly 50 countries worldwide. This breadth enables us to work with Make-A-Wish affiliates around the world to make almost any wish come true.
8. The impact of a wish is simply incredible:

• • • 96% of parents said the wish experience strengthened their families
    • 97% of adult former wish kids report improved mental and emotional health because of their wish experiences.
    • 79% of adult former wish kids confirm that their wish experience marked a turning point in their treatment and recovery.
    • 71% of adult former wish kids believe the wish experience contributed to saving their lives.