Alberta Flood Aid raises nearly 2.2 million dollars through benefit concert

CALGARY, Oct. 17, 2013 /CNW/ - On Thursday, August 15, 2013, 32,000 music lovers joined together at McMahon Stadium in Calgary for Alberta Flood Aid, a star-studded benefit concert to raise much-needed funds for flood recovery in southern Alberta. Thanks to an enormous outpouring of support, nearly $2.2 million was raised.

This memorable night in music history, hosted by Brent Butt featured legendary artists including; Nickelback, Jann Arden, Randy Bachman, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Colin James, Loverboy, Corb Lund, Johnny Reid, The Sadies, The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson donating their time and services to contribute to the effort. TELUS funded the live, online broadcast of the concert for viewers across Canada free of charge.

"We couldn't have hoped for a more perfect evening or a more perfect week." said Peter Jurisic, Chair of Alberta Flood Aid. "The contributions from so many was so representative of the spirit of cooperation displayed by the tens of thousands of volunteers who helped those in need immediately after the flood. Being able to raise almost 2.2 million dollars was truly only made possible by the overwhelming support of so many including our corporate sponsors, the volunteers, and the Canadian Music Industry."

Harvey Cohen of Union Events, one of the key organizers of the Alberta Flood Aid concert said:  "The Alberta Flood Aid benefit concert saw the Canadian music community come together to assist the people of Southern Alberta in their time of need. Whether it be band, agent, manager, or supplier, all facets of the music industry joined as a single united front to host the largest concert ever held in Calgary, raising more than $2 million to support the flood rebuilding efforts, and creating a lifetime of memories for everyone in attendance."

President and CEO, Eva Friesen of The Calgary Foundation said:

"The generosity of Calgary and area contributed to an incredible celebration of community spirit and The Calgary Foundation is so proud to be the recipient of the funds raised at this summer's Alberta Flood Aid concert. Charitable organizations are only just now able to identify some of their needs stemming from the flood - some are experiencing increased demand on their services, while others need to develop new initiatives to respond to the impact. The Foundation will work with charities to determine the long-term needs that can be best supported by the Flood Rebuilding Fund."

Andrea Goertz, TELUS Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer said:

"The floods that hit Alberta in June created one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history. TELUS was proud to support the organizers and the artists involved in raising funds to help with long-term recovery efforts. We stood together to help our fellow citizens during this most difficult time."

Alberta Flood Aid would like to thank the following public organizations for their support:

The Province of Alberta, The City of Calgary, The Government of Canada and Travel Alberta. Alberta Flood Aid would also like to thank the hundreds of volunteers, numerous corporations and organizations that gave thanklessly and tirelessly of themselves to contribute to this event.

A special thank you goes out to the McMahon Stadium Society, The Calgary Flames, TELUS, West Jet, Spyglass Resources Corp. BC Place, Union Events, John Street Advertising, Molson Coors, Fasken Martineau LLP, Canadian Western Bank, PWC, Conoco Phillips Canada, ATCO, Rocky Mountain Catering, Canoe Financial, The Agency Group, Gold and Gold Productions and Annerin Productions.

Alberta Flood Aid
Alberta Flood Aid is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization that was established to raise funds for southern Alberta's flood recovery through a benefit concert. For more information, please visit abfloodaid.ca.

The Calgary Foundation Flood Rebuilding Fund
Following the devastating Southern Alberta Floods of June 2013, The Calgary Foundation established the Flood Rebuilding Fund, which supports long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. For more information on the fund, please visit: thecalgaryfoundation.org/initiatives/flood-rebuilding-fund.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation

Peter Jurisic
Alberta Flood Aid
Media Contact
[email protected]
403-617 5277

Taylor Barrie
Communications Coordinator
The Calgary Foundation
700-999 8 St SW
Calgary AB, T2R 1J5
P: 403-802-7716
www.thecalgaryfoundation.org