RBC Foundation donates $1 Million to Osler

November 17, 2006, Brampton, Ontario -RBC Foundation has pledged $1 million to William Osler Health Centre Foundation. One of the largest corporate gifts given so far to the Osler Foundation’s Here for you... caring for you Community Campaign, the pledge will be recognized through the naming of an enhanced program for children and youth. The RBC Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program at Osler’s new Brampton Civic Hospital will provide specialized care in areas such as thought disorders, severe anxiety disorders and mood disorders when the hospital opens in the fall of 2007. 

Harriet Thornhill, RBC Regional Vice President, Brampton announced the gift at a community presentation at the RBC’s Sunny Meadow Blvd. and Bovaird Rd. branch in Brampton, directly across the street from the new hospital.  “RBC is very excited about the RBC Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program. It is an opportunity to provide top notch support and care for youth at risk across Peel region,” said Thornhill.

Children with mental health issues have been underserved for years across the province. Anne Randell, President & CEO of the William Osler Health Centre Foundation acknowledged the RBC pledge as a transformational gift. “Young people and their families will be cared for in a new hospital that was designed with compassionate patient care first and foremost in mind. A number of additional beds in large, bright rooms and common areas combined with an outstanding clinical team allow the RBC Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program the opportunity to provide unparalleled care in our community.”

Support for William Osler Health Centre Foundation’s $120 million Community Campaign to build Brampton Civic and redevelop its other two sites, Peel Memorial Hospital and Etobicoke General Hospital, continues to grow as $84 million in cash and pledges has been donated to the Foundation to date.  

About RBC Financial Group
RBC Financial Group (RBC) has been named Canada’s Most Respected Corporation in the category of "Corporate Social Responsibility" for 11 consecutive years in the annual KPMG/Ipsos Reid poll. In addition to having one of the leading community care programs in Canada, RBC is a founding member of Imagine Canada, committed to donating at least one per cent of its annual net income before taxes to charitable causes. In 2005, RBC invested more than $65 million in communities across North America, including $40.6 million in donations to charitable organizations and $25 million invested in sponsorships.

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For more information: Alexis Mantell, Manager, Communications Greater Toronto Region RBC Royal Bank (416) 974-4796 or Gerry Luciano, Director, Marketing & Communications William Osler Health Centre Foundation (905) 494-6823