Canadian Heartland Raises $10,000 for Defibrillators

Ottawa – Friday on Parliament Hill, local MP Scott Reid presented a donation of $10,000 from the annual Canadian Heartland golf tournament to the ACT Foundation of Canada.

The ACT Foundation is a national, award-winning, non-profit organization that establishes CPR training programs in high schools. The $10,000 contribution will be used to purchase defibrillators to save lives in rural eastern Ontario.

“By providing ready access to defibrillators and teaching our kids how to save heart attack victims, we can dramatically improve survival rates,” Reid stated. “The Canadian Heartland initiative is an effort to make communities in rural Ontario healthier places in which to live, and this donation will help continue the foundation’s life-saving work.”

The Canadian Heartland Rural Healthcare Initiative started in 2001 when Reid held a “constituency referendum” to determine whether he should donate the proceeds of a $21,000 pay increase for MPs to charity. Since then, Reid has contributed the proceeds of the pay increase (over $100,000 so far) to a number of health-related causes, including the purchase of defibrillators for local fire departments, arenas, and Seniors’ centres.

The Canadian Heartland golf tournament was established in 2005 to provide an additional source of funds for the ACT Foundation’s work. “The ACT Foundation is training people to save lives”, said Mr. Reid. “Our communities continue to become safer places thanks to the Foundation’s work.”

“The ACT Foundation is thrilled to receive this support for defibrillators in rural Ontario from the Canadian Heartland golf tournament,” said Sandra Clarke, ACT Foundation Executive Director. “This donation for defibrillators, in addition to Scott Reid’s longstanding support of the ACT Foundation High School CPR Program, will continue to help make our communities safer places to live.”

For more information or to speak with Mr. Reid
Please call (613) 257-8130 or (613) 947-2277.

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