Thank You CAN Fund

I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know about an organization that I endorse called the Canadian Athletes Now Fund. CAN Fund is a not-for-profit organization devoted solely to raising funds and awareness for Canada's athletes. Since 2003, CAN Fund has raised more than 11 million dollars and helped hundreds of Canadian athletes in pursuit of their dream to represent Canada.

I recently became a recipient of the CAN Fund and wanted to share with you the impact that this funding will have on helping me to achieve my goal of competing for Canada in 2012. As I continue to train and compete, I now have some added security with this contribution from the CAN Fund. With CAN Fund I am also able to be more self sufficient as an athlete and therefore reduce the financial stress on my family. I am grateful to CAN Fund for showing their support of my talents as I build into 2012!

The London Games are 2 years away but it is now when your support counts the most and has the greatest impact on our journey. Now is when we give everything we have in pursuit of our dreams to represent Canada on the world stage. I am 1 of 545 athlete applicants who recently applied for financial assistance to the CAN Fund. As a recent recipient, I know first hand the importance of the CAN Fund and the positive impact that this financial support has on our ability to pursue our goals and to compete knowing that nothing was holding us back. It allows us to focus more on performance and being the best that we can be and less on finances. Canadian athletes face a funding shortfall and CAN Fund helps to provide an answer by putting the funding directly into the hands of the athletes.

The unique thing about donating to the CAN Fund is that with every donation you find out the name of the athlete you have impacted.

“Many times when I have made a donation to a charitable organization I often wonder whether my contribution has really helped to make a difference, I am delighted to say that this is not the case with Canadian Athletes Now Fund. When I first became a monthly donor one of the athletes who was identified as receiving funds was a swimmer from Alberta names Annamay Pierse - yes the very same Annamay Pierse who last week set a World Record and won a Silver medal at the World Aquatic Championships in Rome. In her post race interview with Scott Russell of the CBC, Annamay made it a point to thank Jane Roos and the Canadian Athletes Now Fund for helping provide the support our amateur athletes need. While she did not thank me personally - I did feel some sense of gratitude knowing that my money had helped in Annamay's achievement of excellence. Thank you Canadian Athletes Now Fund and keep up the good work!” ~ Ian Hand, CAN Fund Monthly Donor

If you are considering donating to a charity, I strongly encourage you to consider CAN Fund. The CAN Fund has created a vehicle that connects Canadians from coast to coast with Canadian athletes and provides a way for everyone to get involved and contribute to our excellence. Whether you become a CAN Fund monthly donor, donate to the CAN Fund through the United Way, have your company adopt a Canadian Athlete, engage in a corporate matching program, book an athlete to speak at your company etc…your contribution WILL make a significant difference! To find out how you can become a part of our journey and impact the dreams of other Canadian athletes like myself visit www.CanadianAthletesNow.ca

Thank you for considering the CAN Fund and believing in Canadian athletes!

Your Athlete,
Susan