Advisors shine as Sun Life names 2009 Volunteer of the Year

Company to donate $10,000 to charity on winner's behalf

WATERLOO, ON, July 5 /CNW/ - Today, Sun Life Financial announced that Rauni Naud, advisor with the Kootenay Financial Centre in British Columbia, is the 2009 Volunteer of the Year. To honour Naud's dedication to volunteering, Sun Life Financial will donate $10,000 to the United Way of Castelgar, B.C. as selected by Naud.

"Sun Life is extremely proud of our employees and advisors, from across Canada, who are dedicated to making the communities where they live and work brighter every day through many hours of volunteer work," said Kevin Dougherty, President, Sun Life Financial Canada. "Our communities are as strong as the people who live in them, and the volunteers we're recognizing are truly an example of dedicated citizens."

Naud was named 2009 Volunteer of the Year in recognition of the 750 hours of volunteer work she completed in 2009. Her tireless efforts helped benefit the United Way in Castlegar and Nelson B.C., the Dry Grad program at Stanley Humphries Secondary School in Castlegar and the Castlegar Cancer Society community run.

As president of the Castlegar and Nelson District United Way offices, Naud volunteered an incredible 515 hours with the organization. During this time, Naud put forth creative fundraising ideas that brought about a new direction for the administration and board members. The success of these changes has allowed the United Way offices to continue supporting those that need it most. Naud's efforts with Stanley Humphries Secondary School were instrumental in helping to raise money for the school's graduation ceremony. As well, Naud worked hard to raise pledges for the Castlegar Cancer Society community run.

Sun Life Financial advisors from coast to coast comprised this year's finalists for the Volunteer of the Year. The company will donate $3,000 to charities as decided by each of the three 2009 Volunteer of the Year finalists:

• Joseph Sask, based out of the Grande Prairie Financial Centre in Alberta, will be donating his funds to the Wolverines Wheelchair Sports Association in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Sask is the current secretary of the board of directors and past president for the association. He is also the manager, coach and equipment co-ordinator for the wheelchair basketball program. His efforts have allowed the Wolverines Wheelchair Sports Association to continue to thrive.
• Audrey Chiang's donation will benefit the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Chiang is chair of the board for the Mississauga Board of Chinese Professionals and Businesses. Under her leadership, they have raised more than $1 million over 10 years to support many worthy organizations. She is an advisor with the Scarborough Financial Centre.
• John Maisey of the Moncton Financial Centre will contribute his donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Moncton. Maisey is the past president of the club and has now taken the responsibility of heading the Boys & Girls Club of Moncton's Sustainable Development Program. He sits on the Board of Directors and in three years of leadership, has helped raise $2.3 million to expand the facilities.

Sun Life Financial's volunteer program provides a donation to the charities where an employee or advisor volunteers a minimum of 50 hours for the year. In 2009, employees and advisors at Sun Life Financial volunteered more than 43,000 hours - close to five full years - of their time to organizations and charities in communities coast to coast across Canada, generating $170,000 in donations.

To learn more about Sun Life Financial's 2009 Volunteer of the Year finalists and to see their profiles, please visit www.sunlife.ca/VolunteerOfTheYear.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2010, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $435 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

For further information:

Media Relations Contact:

Krista Wilson
Media & Public Relations
Sun Life Financial Canada
519-888-3900 ext. 4896
[email protected]