Kongsberg Geospatial Donates $25,000 to the Ottawa Hospital’s Molecular Oncology Diagnostics Lab as Part of an Ongoing Community Campaign to Improve Cancer Care in Ottawa
Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) November 23, 2016 -- Kongsberg Geospatial presented a cheque for $25,000 to Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, in a modest ceremony at Kongsberg Geospatial’s Kanata office. The money was raised through a grassroots campaign, and has been earmarked to help fund the development of a new molecular oncology diagnostic lab at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.
Over 9,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the Ottawa region. Last year alone, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre treated over 24,000 cancer patients. Many of those patients undergo molecular or genetic testing to help develop tailored treatment plans. However, most tests require sending tissue samples to a regional lab in Toronto. This means delays that can cost patients weeks of treatment time as they wait for the results of out-of-town testing.
The new molecular oncology diagnostics lab will significantly reduce the wait time on molecular and genetic testing, and will make new testing options available to Ottawa oncologists.
The $25,000 donation from Kongsberg Geospatial is the culmination of an annual campaign that the company has been conducting in partnership with The Ottawa Hospital Foundation every September since 2009. Over the past eight years, the company has raised over $316,000 for cancer research and improvements to cancer care through a combination of employee-run initiatives and events, and a donation matching initiative by the company. The campaigns are managed entirely by workplace volunteers.
This community-based thinking is what has allowed the company to be so effective, according to Kongsberg Geospatial 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.”
“We are grateful to Kongsberg Geospatial for their dedication and continued support,” said Andrea Timlin, Development Officer with The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. “The Kongsberg 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. We’d also like to offer huge congratulations for raising over $25,000 in 2016 for the molecular oncology diagnostics lab, which will have a direct impact on developing tailored treatment plans for many of the 24,000 patients we treat every year at the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.”
With their contribution, the employees at Kongsberg Geospatial have helped to bring this project a little closer to reality. They’re already planning a new campaign for next year.
Christopher Ivey, Kongsberg Geospatial, http://www.KongsbergGeospatial.com, +1 (613) 271-5501, [email protected]
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