LCBO stores raise funds for the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity

Starting on September 16th, 2012, the public can help seriously ill children in your community by making a donation at any of the more than 620 LCBO stores throughout Ontario. Donation boxes for the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity (JACC) will be displayed at LCBO checkout counters until October 13th, 2012.

Funds raised through this program will be used to assist seriously ill children in communities across Ontario with expenses surrounding their illnesses and necessities of life. JACC’s mission is improving the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families…when love is not enough.

“I’ll never forget how it felt to sit for hours beside my baby’s isolette in the hospital’s newborn intensive care unit”, said Zoë’s Mom. Zoë was born with a birth defect, gastroschisis, which required that she remain in hospital in intensive care for two and a half months before she was well enough to go home. “We want to thank the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity for the financial support to our family to assist with emergency household bills during this hard time when we needed it the most,” said Zoë’s Mom.

his year’s Donation Box backer card features this photo of Zoë

Founded in 1990, JACC is a registered Canadian charity that is truly unique in the children’s charity sector for four very important reasons. We are not illness or disease specific, assist children from birth to 21 years of age, fill the gap where other charities leave off and act as a “safety net” for Ontario children when all other resources have been exhausted.

“We thank the LCBO, its employees and especially its customers for providing this wonderful opportunity,” says Jane Sleep, JACC’s Executive Director. “The LCBO’s province-wide store network is truly an effective way to raise awareness and funds for the seriously ill, financially disadvantaged children that we assist across Ontario.”

“LCBO is pleased to partner with the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity and provide support to a variety of worthy causes,” says LCBO President & CEO Bob Peter. “Generous LCBO customers and staff improve the lives of countless Ontarians and help communities throughout the province.”

The Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity is one of 28 provincial, as well as numerous local charities, that will benefit from LCBO’s province-wide donation box program in 2012. In 2011, LCBO raised a total of more than $6.2 million for charities through special programs and initiatives, of which $5.7 million was raised through in-store fundraising. In addition, LCBO’s annual dividend transfer to the Ontario government, which totaled $1.63 billion in fiscal 2011-12, excluding taxes, supports a wide range of important government programs, services and priorities, including health care and education.

The Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity thanks the public for its support when shopping at their local LCBO store from September 16th – October 13th, 2012.