THUNDER BAY – HEALTHBEAT – The Linda Buchan Centre for Breast Screening and Assessment at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Shoppers Drug Mart® are partnering in an effort to raise funds in support of women’s whole health in Thunder Bay through the eleventh annual Tree of Life campaign. The four-week fundraising campaign, running from September 14th through October 11th at over 1,240 Shoppers Drug Mart stores, will harvest essential funding to directly support the Linda Buchan Centre’s resources and programming initiatives.
The Linda Buchan Centre is Northwestern Ontario’s highest volume breast screening centre and its only comprehensive breast assessment centre. During the year, over 6,000 breast imaging procedures are performed, including almost 150 stereotactic biopsies and 350 ultrasound guided core biopsies.
“Community fundraising initiatives allow us to provide women with the resources they need to improve their health in mind, body and spirit,” said David Knutson, Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “From September 14th through October 11th, we encourage everyone to get involved in women’s health and support the Linda Buchan Centre for Breast Screening and Assessment directly through Shoppers Drug Mart’s Tree of Life fundraising campaign.” Funds raised will directly support equipment for the Linda Buchan Centre including a new digital mammography machine.
Make a Difference
Each fall, the campaign provides customers with the opportunity to purchase and personalize a Tree of Life icon, which are prominently displayed on the Tree of Life in all participating stores. Make a difference and support women in communities across Canada by visiting any local participating Shoppers Drug Mart store and purchase a “leaf” for a loonie, a “butterfly” for $5, an “acorn” for $10 or a “cardinal” for $50.
“To achieve our goal of improving women’s health in Thunder Bay it takes the commitment of our whole community and we thank Shoppers Drug Mart, their employees and customers for coming together and supporting us through the 2013 Tree of Life campaign,” said Knutson.
The Shoppers Drug Mart Tree of Life campaign is a four-week program held across Canada and is one of the leading partnership programs of the Shoppers Drug Mart WOMEN platform – the Company’s commitment to improving the health of all Canadian women in body, mind and spirit. National in scope, yet locally-based, the annual Tree of Life campaign offers patients, customers and employees the opportunity to donate directly to the organizations that make a difference in their own communities. Since 2002, the Tree of Life campaign has raised more than $20.8 million for Canadian health charities. In 2013, over 480 women’s health charities across Canada will benefit from the campaign’s proceeds with 100 per cent of funds staying in the community where they are raised.
