TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2002 – Transamerica’s 6th annual Drive For
Life Charity
Golf Tournament takes place again this year at the Angus Glen Golf
and Country
Club in Markham, Ontario on Tuesday August 13, 2002.
Every year Transamerica Life Canada donates the proceeds of the
golf
tournament to charitable causes dedicated to health and wellness
through “in
the spirit of hope,” the company’s charitable giving program. This
year,
Transamerica Life Canada has selected Ontario March of Dimes as the
beneficiary of the Tournament over the next three years, committing
over
$700,000 to the organization.
Transamerica Life Canada’s donation represents the single
largest
corporate gift in the 51-year history of Ontario March of Dimes. The
gift will
directly benefit Conductive Education(R), an innovative program that
merges
elements of education and rehabilitation to assist children and
adults with
neuro-motor disabilities to develop their problem-solving skills,
body
control, mobility and communication.
“This donation will be a big step forward for Conductive
Education(R) in
Canada,” explains Andria Spindel, President and CEO of Ontario March
of Dimes.
“It will accelerate the growth of a Canadian base of trained
Conductors
(instructors). The proceeds from Transamerica’s Drive For Life Golf
Tournament
will provide scholarship opportunities to train Canadian Conductors
overseas
and help bring the Conductive Education(R) Program to more Canadians
with
physical disabilities.”
George Foegele, Chairman, President and CEO of Transamerica Life
Canada
and AEGON Canada is impressed with the scope of the Conductive
Education(R)
Program and the evident dedication of the Conductors who work daily
to
motivate and facilitate participants through an educational approach
to
learning. “We’re very pleased that Transamerica’s gift will benefit
those in
need of Conductive Education(R) in Canada,” says George Foegele.
“Our goal
through this donation and our charitable giving efforts is to bring
hope to
new participants of the Conductive Education(R) Program and inspire
them to
live a more independent and self-sufficient life.”
Transamerica’s Drive For Life Charity Golf Tournament will be a
star-studded fund-raising event featuring Olympic Gold Medallist and
Canadian Speed
Skating Champion Catriona LeMay Doan, who will preside as the
spokesperson for
Transamerica’s “in the spirit of hope” charitable giving program,
Singer
Michael Burgess, Comic Actor Leslie Nielsen and other celebrities
and sports
personalities.
About Transamerica Life Canada
Transamerica Life Canada is a market leader in the sale of
individual
life insurance and segregated funds. Through a national network of
18,000
independent advisors, Transamerica Life Canada helps Canadians meet
their
financial goals and preserve their wealth through innovative
financial
products and services.
Transamerica Life Canada is part of AEGON Canada a wealth
management
solutions provider headquartered in Toronto, and is a member of the
AEGON
Group, a leading international financial services group. In 2001,
Transamerica
Life Canada earned more than $605 million in life insurance premium
income and
recorded over $8 billion in total assets under management.
About Ontario March of Dimes
Ontario March of Dimes is one of the largest charitable
organizations in
Ontario providing a wide range of programs and services to enhance
the
independence and community participation of people with physical
disabilities.
Their consumers include those who have disabilities from infancy or
early
childhood, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or muscular
dystrophy; people
who have acquired their disability through injury or accident; and
people who
have also acquired a disability such as multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson’s
disease, post-polio syndrome, or have had a stroke.
Established in 1951, Ontario March of Dimes was instrumental in
the
Canada-wide fundraising effort to combat polio, a highly contagious,
disabling, and sometimes fatal disease. With the help of Marching
Mothers(R),
women who campaigned door-to-door, Dr. Jonas Salk discovered the
vaccine that
virtually eradicated the disease in North America. Today, Ontario
March of
Dimes provides a variety of services to almost 25,000 people
annually,
innovating and addressing the changing needs of people with physical
disabilities.
Conductive Education (R)
Conductive Education(R), a groundbreaking national program of
Ontario
March of Dimes, is a learning system that merges elements of
education and
rehabilitation to assist people with motor disabilities to become
more
independent and self-confident. Specially trained teachers called
Conductors
motivate students to learn the skills needed to find their own
solutions to
the practical problems of daily living. Participants develop
problem-solving
skills, body control, mobility and communication. The program has
been
especially beneficial to people with Parkinson’s disease, cerebral
palsy,
multiple sclerosis, acquired brain injury and stroke.
Conductors are currently trained in one of three international
locations,
as there is no training facility to date in Canada. The Transamerica
Drive for
Life Golf Tournament will enable Ontario March of Dimes to increase
the number
of Canadian Conductors through scholarship programs, expanding
Conductive
Education(R) and its benefits across the country, and hopefully lead
to a
Canadian-based training program for Conductors.
