25 Years of Hope for Pediatric Brain Tumour Research
BURLINGTON, Ontario, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bunzl Canada recently hosted its 25th annual
Ripple of Hope
Golf Tournament in support of the Arthur & Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
On July 8th, Bunzl Canada, its vendor partners, and its customers again gathered at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario for the much-anticipated annual event. This year's theme was proudly Canadian, complete with enthusiastically worn red and white regalia and Canadian-themed menu choices. Participants enjoyed a day of golf as they fundraised and increased awareness for Toronto SickKids' advanced pediatric brain tumour research initiatives.
This year's tournament marked a powerful milestone, not only in longevity but in impact. With the support of volunteers, employees, vendor partners, and customers across its business segments, Bunzl Canada has now raised over $1.93million since the tournament's inception. This year, tournament donations surpassed $135,000.
Recognized as the world's largest centre dedicated to brain tumour research, under the leadership of Dr. James Rutka and his team, the centre at SickKids has pioneered transformative advancements in the treatment of childhood brain tumours. Among these is MRI-guided focused ultrasound, a pioneering technique that enables clinicians to bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver therapy directly, in a less invasive manner, to aggressive brain tumours such as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
Since the last event, Dr. Rutka and his team have made important strides in better understanding pediatric brain tumours with the recognition that what was once thought to be a single disease, medulloblastoma, is actually four distinct subtypes. This discovery revolutionized the approach to treatment, as targeted therapy has been developed for each subtype. This advancement paves the way for more precise and effective treatments, offering renewed hope for patients and their families.
'One type of medulloblastoma requires a specific treatment which may include radiation therapy and chemotherapy, whereas another one may only require chemotherapy,' said Dr. Rutka. 'We also know that young children who get medulloblastoma usually are not eligible for radiation therapy, but the sub-classification tells us what chemotherapy drugs will be most effective depending on what subclass of medulloblastoma they have.'
Watch Video:
Ripple of Hope: 25 Years of Supporting Pediatric Brain Tumour Research
'Before 1950, there was no survival for a child with medulloblastoma. Essentially, it was a death sentence,' said Dr. Rutka. 'Gradually, the survival increased to approximately 70%. Since our discovery of four different types of medulloblastoma, we can now offer some children with different subclasses of blastoma 80 or 90% survival. We are now curing more children with medulloblastoma than ever before.'
'I've worked closely with Bunzl for 25 years,' said Dr. Rutka. 'It is a remarkable company to work with. It's absolutely incredible, and I want to thank them sincerely for everything they've done to support the charity golf tournament.'
'Reaching the 25th anniversary of the
Ripple of Hope
Golf Tournament is a meaningful moment for all of us at Bunzl Canada,' said John Howlett, Bunzl Canada's President. 'Approaching $2 million in donations reflects the incredible generosity and dedication of our valued customers, vendor partners and employees. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who's supported this cause over the years, and to Dr. Rutka and his team at SickKids for the groundbreaking work they continue to do.'
About Bunzl Canada
Bunzl Canada Inc. (
bunzlcanada.ca
) provides the cleaning and hygiene products and equipment, food and retail packaging, safety products and industrial supplies which keep over 45,000 Canadian businesses running optimally, every day. The company brings its customers the advantage of global sourcing, product innovation and national scale combined with responsive local service and deep category expertise. Bunzl Canada Inc. is an operating company of Bunzl plc (BNZL.L), a FTSE100 company listed on the London Stock Exchange in the Support Services sector.
Media Inquiries
Margo Hunnisett
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Bunzl Canada Inc.
margo.hunnisett@bunzlcanada.ca
(905) 630-3749
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf243d04-39e4-40e4-84cc-8cf2b5715a25
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