2005 News Releases

For immediate release - January 17, 2005

Loeb to Lead Fundraising for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Through the National Capital Race Weekend

Foundation’s annual fundraising initiative renamed Loeb Fundrace

(OTTAWA, ONTARIO) - The Ottawa Hospital Foundation today announced that Loeb Canada Inc. will lead the Foundation’s annual fundraising initiative – now called the Loeb Fundrace – during the National Capital Race Weekend, to take place May 26 to 29, 2005.

As part of a new partnership, Loeb will promote the Loeb Fundrace in the community through its marketing materials and encourage its employees, customers and suppliers of its 25 local Loeb and Super C stores to raise pledges for The Ottawa Hospital.

“Loeb Canada is committed to offering the very best to our customers, our employees and their loved ones,” said André Gagné, Vice President and General Manager of Loeb Canada. “We know that The Ottawa Hospital shares our company’s values and is dedicated to providing the very best health care services whenever they are needed most.”

“As the only acute care hospital in our region, The Ottawa Hospital will touch every family in our community sooner or later,” said Susan Doyle, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. “Loeb is showing real leadership in this on behalf of all its customers and employees.”

“We are extremely pleased with this partnership,” said Susan Longbottom, President of the National Capital Race Weekend and a nurse at The Ottawa Hospital. “The agreement will make the event that much stronger and visible in our community.” In a separate agreement with the National Capital Race Weekend, Loeb has signed on as the Recovery Room Sponsor during the May event.

Fundraising by Race Weekend participants has already raised $3 million for cancer assessment centres at The Ottawa Hospital for prostate, colorectal and lung cancer, and for the Women’s Breast Health Centre. Proceeds from this year’s Loeb Fundrace will help fund a number of improvements in patient care at The Ottawa Hospital, including:

• Doubling the size of the emergency departments and converting them into state-of-the-art facilities.
• Doubling the number of beds in the intensive care units of the Civic and General campuses.
• Adding 17 new, state-of-the-art operating rooms.

The 30-year relationship between The Ottawa Hospital and the National Capital Race Weekend began in 1975 at the first National Capital Marathon when a small group of nurses and doctors from the former Civic Hospital Emergency Department volunteered to form a medical team.

Loeb Canada Inc. has been part of the business community in the Ottawa area for over 91 years and employs more than 2,500 employees in the greater Ottawa area. Loeb Canada Inc. operates Loeb and Super C stores throughout Eastern and Northeastern Ontario.

With its 1,130 beds, The Ottawa Hospital is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Canada. It provides comprehensive, high-quality, patient-focused health care services, in English and French, to over 1.5 million residents of Eastern Ontario, and specialized and complex services for residents of Northeastern Ontario. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Web site at www.ottawahospital.on.ca.

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s mission is to inspire and enable people to support the highest quality health care at The Ottawa Hospital and world-class research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Web site at www.ohfoundation.ca.

The National Capital Race Weekend, Canada's premier running festival, combines competition, participation and fundraising to make a distinctive contribution to the health of the community. The Race Weekend has more than 20,000 participants in nine races, including the ING Ottawa Marathon. It is run by a volunteer board of directors. This year, Race Weekend is scheduled from May 26 to 29; the ING Ottawa Marathon will feature a one-loop course for the first time in over 10 years.

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