Sun Life Financial presents Tournament of
Stars in support of West Park Healthcare
Centre
TORONTO, March 13, 2018 /CNW/ - Think you can play with
the pros? Register a team and join the 2nd Annual
Tournament of Stars, a celebrity basketball tournament in support
of West Park Healthcare Centre. From March
23rd to March
24th, 2018, you and your team will have the
chance to play ball with NBA legends all for a great cause.
Presented by Sun Life Financial, the Tournament of Stars will
team NBA alumni and hoop-loving celebrities with West Park
supporters at the University of
Toronto's (U of T) Goldring Centre for High Performance
Sport. This exciting, fun-filled tournament will help promote
healthy, active living on and off the courts.
Proceeds from the tournament will support the life-changing work
done every day at West Park, a Toronto rehabilitation hospital that helps
people with serious injury and illness – including diabetes,
stroke, lung disease and amputation – get back to their lives.
More than 50 per cent of West Park's amputee patients have lost
a limb due to complications from diabetes, a number that is
expected to rise as the population ages. West Park's renowned
amputee rehabilitation program gets patients out of their
wheelchairs and active again with the help of a prosthetic
limb.
"One of the best ways to help manage diabetes and its related
complications is through a healthy and active lifestyle," said
Paul Joliat, Assistant
Vice-President, Philanthropy and Sponsorships, Sun Life Financial.
"By teaming up with West Park to sponsor the Tournament of Stars,
we get to support those living with this disease while having fun
on the basketball court."
In November 2012, Sun Life
Financial announced a philanthropic focus on diabetes and since
then has committed over $22 million
to programs that support diabetes awareness, prevention, care and
research.
"We know the importance of encouraging a healthy, active
lifestyle among our patients, helping those with diabetes and other
chronic conditions to better manage their health and live life to
the fullest," said Joanne Cole, CEO
of West Park Foundation. "We are delighted that Sun Life Financial
has teamed up with us to present Tournament of Stars."
The event gets underway the evening of Friday, March 23rd with the Celebrity
Draft Party at Maison Mercer Nightclub (15 Mercer Street,
Toronto), during which teams will
have the chance to draft their celebrity teammate and plan their
game strategy. The more money a team raises, the higher they will
place in the draft.
Confirmed celebrities and teammates for this year include:
Honorary Ambassador Jack
Armstrong - Sportscaster for TSN and NBA TV Canada;
Alvin Williams - NBA Alumni,
Toronto Raptors; Charles
Oakley - NBA Alumni, NBA All-Star, NBA All-Defensive
First Team, played for Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls; Jerome
"Junk Yard Dog" Williams - NBA Alumni, Toronto Raptors;
Kevin Willis – NBA
Alumni, Toronto Raptors, NBA Champion '93, NBA All-Star;
Morris Peterson - NBA Alumni,
Toronto Raptors, NBA All-Rookie First Team; Justin "Jus Fly" Darlington – Slam Dunk
Champion and Team Canada Olympian; Tracy
Murray – NBA Alumni, Toronto Raptors, Trail Blazers;
Chamique Holdsclaw - WNBA Alumni, San Antonio Silver
Stars; Derek Anderson, NBA
Alumni Portland Trailblazers; Charlie
Villanueva – NBA Alumni, Toronto Raptors and more to be
confirmed.
Tip-off is at U of T's Goldring Centre (100 Devonshire Place) at
9 a.m. on Saturday, March 24th. In
addition to the round-robin tournament, the day includes a Slam
Dunk Exhibition, 3-point competition and a Celebrity All-Star Game
between the NBA alumni and celebrities, and the top
fundraisers.
"The tournament will be a family-friendly day of fun and
excitement, and all for a great cause," said Daniel Simunac, a member of the hospital board,
Managing Director at Raymond James and Organizing Chair of the
tournament. Raymond James is a Platinum Sponsor of Tournament
of Stars.
"West Park plays a critical role in our healthcare system,
helping people overcome enormous health challenges to reclaim their
lives," said Simunac.
If you think you can play with the pros, visit
westparktournamentofstars.ca to register a team and prepare
to draft your celebrity teammate. Tickets to watch the tournament
are $25 each and can be purchased
through the website.
About West Park Healthcare Centre
West Park Healthcare
Centre helps patients get their lives back by providing specialized
rehabilitative and complex care after a life‐altering illness or
injury such as lung disease, amputation, stroke, and traumatic
musculoskeletal injuries. West Park is building a new hospital and
transforming its 27-acre site into an integrated campus of care,
enabling the hospital to evolve its rehabilitative programs to meet
Ontario's future health care
needs. West Park Foundation has embarked on the ambitious
$80 million Get Your Life Back
Campaign to support construction of the new hospital and help
transform West Park into a world-class centre of rehabilitative
care.
Sun Life Financial in the community
At Sun Life
Financial, we are committed to building sustainable, healthier
communities for life and we're proud to hold the Caring
Company designation from Imagine Canada. Community wellness is
an important part of our sustainability commitment and we believe
that by actively supporting the communities in which we live and
work, we can help build a positive environment for our Clients,
Employees, advisors and shareholders. Our philanthropic support
focuses on two key areas: health, with an emphasis on diabetes
awareness, prevention, care and research initiatives through our
Team Up Against DiabetesTM platform; and arts and
culture, through our award-winning Making the Arts More
Accessible TM program. We also partner with
sports properties in key markets to further our commitment to
healthy and active living. Our Employees and advisors take great
pride in volunteering over 29,000 hours each year and contribute to
making life brighter for individuals and families across
Canada. Read more about Sun Life
Financial in the community.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New
York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the
ticker symbol SLF.
Media relations contacts:
Lorraine Quartaro
Senior Communications Director, Solutions with Impact
T: 416-703-5371 x 236
C: 416-433-7232
Lorraine.quartaro@sympatico.ca
Hannah Stewart
Senior Communications Specialist, Sun Life Financial
T: 647-256-2136
C: 416-557-4428
hannah.stewart@sunlife.com
SOURCE Sun Life Financial Canada