For the 5th year in a row, Otsuka returns to support Kidney March as a Lead Sponsor.

On day one, Otsuka employees will be working hard to hand out lunch to all our hungry marchers and crew. André Mumme, Otsuka’s Manager of Stakeholder Relations, says supporting fundraising events like the Kidney March is an essential part of their organization and concern for people is one of Otsuka’s Cultural Values. The Japanese company with a Canadian Headquarters in Montreal feels strongly about the importance of giving back and being involved in activities that are meaningful to all the communities they serve.

“Otsuka employees share a unique and tireless passion to help enhance the health and quality of human life around the world.” Otsuka is also the national sponsor for the Kidney Walks Canada-wide. André himself feels a strong connection to the Kidney March and took on the 100 km challenge last year as a first time Marcher.

Other Otsuka employees have also marched the full 100 km over the years. One of them will be back again this year for the third time, saying that “Seldom in one’s career do you get to be part of something so powerful. I came to Kidney March thinking I was handing out a few sandwiches at a charity event and was blown away by the people I met — their struggles, people they have lost, and their dedication. Everyone was positive and smiling no matter their personal circumstances. There is nothing like Kidney March.”

Thanks to the amazing support of Mattamy Homes the shower rooms will again be transformed into a spa-like oasis. 

It’s Mattamy’s gift to refresh all marchers and crew at the end of each day.  In addition to the shower rooms, Mattamy is also sponsoring the last Pit Stop of Kidney March at the top of Canada Olympic Park.

Kidney March welcomed Mattamy Homes to the Kidney March family two years ago and we are thrilled they are joining us for 2019. When Mattamy Homes was considering one more charitable opportunity in the Calgary area, Kidney March was just the fit the company was looking for.

Don Barrineau, President of Mattamy Homes’ Calgary division, notes Mattamy has always had a deep interest in supporting the communities it does business in, particularly around health and wellness. “It starts at the top with President Peter Gilgan and spreads throughout the company. Here in Calgary, we want to focus our support on a couple of projects with big impact – projects where we can actually see the difference we are making, and that our people can get involved in,” he says.

Established in 1978, Mattamy Homes is North America’s largest privately owned home builder. The company has built over 90,000 homes in hundreds of neighborhoods across Ontario and Alberta. “We are proud of the high-quality people who work here – people who already have care and concern for their community hardwired in them,” Barrineau says. “And since high quality, integrity, humility, and gratitude is also the culture we want to build, giving back becomes a self-perpetuating thing that just keeps building on itself.” 

When Executive Assistant Colette Showers and the donations committee were looking for a new charitable opportunity to get involved in, kidney patient and long-time Kidney Marcher Trevor Ferguson helped make an introduction to the company – and the rest is history. “As we were considering our options, we found out our Director of Finance has a history of kidney disease in her family, one of our Permits Coordinators has actually participated in a previous Kidney March, and many other staff members identified a connection to kidney disease or organ transplant. We had no idea so many of our people were affected,” Showers says.

Learn more about Mattamy Homes at MattamyHomes.com 

Kidney March is thrilled to have Clauson Cold & Cooler Ltd back as a leading sponsor for their second year in a row.  Not only are they sponsoring our main tent and dining centre at camp, they will also be sponsoring 4 pit stops on route. Catherine Coels, the president at Clauson, has been attending Kidney March events for years, supporting her long-time family friend and 10-time Marcher Janice MacKay, and Janice’s sister-in-law Sandra MacKay, 6-time Marcher.

Marchers and Crew will have an amazing space twice as big as last year to enjoy warm meals and two fun-filled evenings at camp, thanks to Clauson’s generous sponsorship. The Clauson staff were able to join us for Kidney-O-kee last year where they got a real sense of the spirit of our event and how important the main tent is to our Marching community over those three days.

“Clauson has always invested in the community and Catherine has such a generous heart. I am proud to be her friend, and we are so grateful for Clauson’s support,” says Janice.

Clauson Cold & Cooler Ltd has a refrigeration warehouse of 250,000 square feet, providing cold/cooler storage, a focus on excellent customer service, and the highest standards for food safety. It is still a family-run business with Catherine’s son Darcy and Janice’s son Neil playing key roles.

The family business, started by Catherine’s dad Norm Clauson in the 1960’s, is also proudly sponsoring four pit stops along the Kidney March route. The family recognizes that kidney disease affects people at every age, and feels blessed to have happy, healthy children and grandchildren. They are celebrating that by dedicating these pit stops to their grandchildren Olivia and Kieran.

We want to welcome our newest leading sponsor; the Big Hearted Mavericks Foundation. Who are they?

The Mavericks purchased their first chuckwagon at the Calgary Stampede in 1999. In 2000, they were founded as a not for profit society under the name The Mavericks Chuckwagon Society. They are a group of 25 like-minded local businessmen that have been dedicated to two objectives: actively engage in Children’s Charity Fundraising and having fun supporting the great sport of Chuckwagon Racing.
In 2011, the Mavericks established the Big Hearted Mavericks Foundation, a registered charitable foundation. All funds raised by the group are transferred to and donated from the Foundation. They state, “We believe that the best way to give back to our community is by investing in young people.”

The Mavericks and the Big Hearted Mavericks Foundation were approached by Kip Reghenas, a member of this year’s Kidney March Sponsorship Committee and first time Crew Member. The Mavericks knew instantly that the Kidney March was going to be a great fit.

Kip, one of the original founders of the Mavericks, is thrilled to join the Mavericks family with his new Kidney March family. “Ken Malvin, also an original Founder, Darren Exner, Marty Collins and I can’t wait to celebrate with Marchers when they complete their 100 KM goals on September 8th,” says Kip.

Their sponsorship covers multiple Kidney March event needs as well as purchasing medical equipment to support families with newborns suffering from kidney disease for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. We can’t say too much about exactly what they will be sponsoring for Kidney March because we don’t want to spoil the surprise. So, keep an eye out for their western hospitality on day three of Kidney March!

Thank you again to these truly Big Hearted Calgarians, we can’t wait to meet all of you!

“Fun, friendship and making a difference.” This is what it means to be a Big Hearted Maverick.