Driving for a Cure – Bunzl Raises Over $1.9M for Pediatric Brain Tumour Research

Burlington, ON – July 16, 2024 – Bunzl Canada announced it has hosted its 24th annual Ripple of Hope golf tournament in support of the Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

On July 9th, Bunzl Canada, its vendor partners, and its cleaning and hygiene, safety, industrial, grocery/retail/processor business customers gathered at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario. Participants enjoyed a day of fiesta-themed golf as they fundraised and increased awareness for Toronto SickKids’ advanced pediatric brain tumour research initiatives.

Over the last two decades, Bunzl Canada and its supporters have raised over $1.81 million to fund the revolutionary work at SickKids Hospital to combat life-threatening pediatric neurosurgical conditions. This year’s 24th annual tournament surpassed over $100,000 in donations alone.

Distinguished as the world’s largest research centre for brain tumour research, the team at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, led by Dr. James Rutka, has led to the discovery and development of MRI-guided focused ultrasound technology to treat children with brain tumours. This revolutionary breakthrough offers a less intrusive way to deliver targeted chemotherapy to aggressive and terminal Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) pediatric brain tumour.

Since the last annual fundraising event, Dr. Rutka and his team, in partnership with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, received approval for and began a world-first clinical trial with the newly developed MRI-guided technology. They’ve recently opened the trial to their colleagues in the United States.

“All centres are now entering patients into this study. Four patients have been treated, and each patient has gone through their therapies without any issues, side effects, challenges, and complications,” said Dr. Rutka. “As this is a safety and feasibility study, which means we’re determining whether opening the blood-brain barrier with MRI-guided focused ultrasound is safe, we’ve proven already that it is.”