Ottawa, CA: Kongsberg Gallium presented a cheque for $32,000 to Tim Kluke, CEO of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, in a modest ceremony at Kongsberg Gallium’s Kanata Office. The donation is part of an ongoing commitment by Kongsberg Gallium employees that has raised over $290,000 so far.
The donation is the culmination of an annual campaign that Kongsberg Gallium has been conducting in partnership with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation every September since 2009. Over the past seven years, the company has raised over $290,000 for cancer research and improvements to cancer care, through a combination of employee-run initiatives, including an annual golf tournament, payroll deductions, and a donation matching initiative. The campaigns are managed entirely by workplace volunteers.
This accomplishment is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that Kongsberg Gallium is a fairly small company with just over 60 employees. Last year, the company was recognized for its pioneering charitable initiatives with a Best Ottawa Business (BOB) Philanthropy award for their role in building a community of charitable activism among like-minded Ottawa companies.
This community-based thinking is what has allowed such a small company to be so effective, according to Kongsberg Gallium CFO, Tanya Hume: “This is very much an employee-driven, community initiative”, she explained, “and because of our partnership with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, we can focus on local initiatives that provide tangible results.”
The message is timely because the Ottawa Hospital Foundation still has work to do: the number of patients at the current Breast Health Center has increased by over 40% since it opened in 1997, and the number of procedures, including breast surgeries, biopsies, and breast imaging has increased by 175%. The Breast Health Center claims that this year alone over 1,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the Ottawa Region.
According to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, the centre is simply being overwhelmed by increasing demand for service, and this year alone over 1,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the Ottawa Region. They plan to raise $14 million to build a new, state-of-the-art Breast Health Centre at the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital.
“We are so grateful to Kongsberg Gallium for their dedication and continued support,” said Andrea Timlin, Development Officer with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation. “The Kongsberg Gallium team has been a force in raising funds and awareness of the ground- breaking cancer research being conducted here at The Ottawa Hospital since 2009.
“From fund-raising for a chemo-chair in 2009, to supporting Dr. Bell’s oncolytic virus cancer research trial in 2014, they have rallied their colleagues in philanthropy and spirit to ensure patients in Ottawa can stay in Ottawa for the best care possible.
“We’d also like to offer huge congratulations for raising over $32,000 in 2015 for The Breast Health Centre Expansion which will benefit the roughly 1000 patients, (and growing) diagnosed with breast cancer this year in Ottawa.“
With their contribution, the employees at Kongsberg Gallium have helped to bring this project one step closer to reality. They’re already planning a new campaign for next year.
Editor's Note: Kongsberg Gallium was renamed Kongsberg Geospatial in February of 2016, but maintains the same ownership and corporate structure. Kongsberg Geospatial is a wholy-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Kongsberg Geospatial continues to support the Ottawa Hospital Foundation with an annual campaign.
About Kongsberg Geospatial: Based in Ottawa, Canada, Kongsberg Geospatial creates precision real-time software for mapping, geospatial visualization, and situational awareness. The Company’s products are primarily deployed in solutions for air-traffic control, Command and Control, and air defense. Over nearly three decades of providing dependable performance under extreme conditions, Kongsberg Geospatial has become the leading geospatial technology provider for mission-critical applications where lives are on the line. Kongsberg Geospatial is a subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Media contact:1-800-267-2626 or reach us by email at info@kongsberggeospatial.com
Kongsberg Geospatial is a fully owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
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