FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MS Society
of Canada Rides with RONA
$200,000 sponsorship deal biggest in MS Society history
TORONTO, CANADA (February 12) - The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has signed the biggest event sponsorship deal in its history with Canadian home renovation giant, RONA. The RONA MS Bike Tour is the largest non-profit cycling series in Canada with 19 events from coast-to-coast.
"RONA is a first-class Canadian success story with a long history of supporting the fight against MS," said Alistair Fraser, president and chief executive of the MS Society of Canada. "This
extraordinary level of support gives new hope to the thousands
of Canadian families who live with this unpredictable disease."
Since 2000, RONA had been presenting sponsor for the MS Bike Tour in Quebec. The new deal gives them title sponsorship for all 19 cycling events taking place in seven provinces in Canada. The one-year, $200,000 agreement is a mix of cash and in-kind sponsorship. RONA's contribution will include gift certificates to act as fundraising incentives and funds to help underwrite event costs.
"At RONA we have a tradition of continually doing more and doing it better. For the past three years we have enthusiastically embraced the fight against multiple sclerosis in Quebec. The MS Bike Tour has given us the opportunity to go even further by taking it to the national level," explained RONA president and CEO Robert Dutton. "We're proud to back the extraordinary commitment of the people in Edmonton and to support all RONA employees who are getting involved with so much heart-felt generosity," he
concluded.
The 2004 RONA MS Bike Tours begin in Calgary on June 12 and will continue throughout the spring, summer and early fall. Other locations include Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Regina and Laval. For more information, please visit www.msbiketours.com.
About the MS Society of Canada
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. It is the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20-40, and the unpredictable effects of MS last for the rest of their lives. The MS Society provides services to people with MS and their families and funds research to find the cause, prevention, treatment and cure for this devastating disease.
About RONA
RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products. RONA operates a network of 535 franchise, affiliate and corporate stores of various sizes and formats. With over 20,000 employees working under its family of banners across Canada and some 12 million square feet of retail space, the RONA store network generates $3.7 billion in annual sales.
For more information, please contact :
Deanna Groetzinger
Vice-President, Communications
MS Society of Canada
Tel: (416) 967-3007
E-mail: Deanna.groetzinger@mssociety.ca
Sylvain Morissette
Public Relations Director
RONA Inc.
Tel.: (514) 599-5123 or
Toll free : 1-877-599-5900 ext. 123
Email: mors@rona.ca
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