Event Part of Year-Long Celebration of Air Canada's 75^th Anniversary

MONTREAL, Aug. 9, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Air Canada Foundation's first annual fundraising golf tournament held Monday, August 6, at the Elm Ridge Country Club, Québec, raised over $268,000 support of organizations focused on the health and well-being of children in need.

"On behalf of all the people whose lives are touched by the Air Canada Foundation, I extend a heartfelt thank you to our loyal partners, sponsors, participants and volunteers whose enthusiasm and generosity made this inaugural fundraising event a resounding success," said Priscille LeBlanc, Chair of the Air Canada Foundation. "With the support of our customers, employees, friends and partners, the Foundation is now able to provide financial as well as travel assistance directly to those most in need."

The event featured 36 teams totalling 144 golfers with funds raised through sponsorships, fun events, and a silent and live auction of items donated by tournament partners:

Presenting sponsor

Aeroplan

Patrons of Honour

AAR Corporation
Airbase Services
American Express
B/E Aerospace
CAE
Carlson Wagonlit
Delta TechOps
Embraer
Expedia & Egencia
GE Aviation
InFlight Canada
Panasonic Avionics
Pratt & Whitney
Spafax 

About the Air Canada Foundation
In celebration of its 75 years of community involvement, Air Canada launched in 2012 the Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children in need.
The Air Canada Foundation offers support primarily through travel assistance to core programs including: The Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan miles to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada so children can travel to obtain medical care unavailable locally; the Air Canada Volunteer Involvement Program which encourages employees to give back to their local community by providing them with airline tickets to raise money for causes they support while the employee-led charitable organization, Dreams Take Flight, each year flies hundreds of ill and disadvantaged children to Disney for a day of making wishes come true. To supplement travel initiatives with financial assistance, the airline also engages directly in fundraising activity such as the Every Bit Counts program which encourages customers to donate loose change of all denominations onboard or through airport collection containers.
The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises.
For more information about The Air Canada Foundation, please visit www.aircanada.com/foundation

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011 served more than 33 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 56 destinations in the United States and 63 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,356 destinations in 193 countries. In 2012, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.

SOURCE: AIR CANADA