AbitibiBowater donates to Camp Quality

The volunteers running Camp Quality work hard to raise $100,000 every year to run their summer program for children with cancer, so any donation they receive helps them breathe a little easier.

Monday the non-profit organization received $5,000 from AbitibiBowater’s Thunder Bay sawmill operation; the funds come with the board of director award the mill received for going 250,000 hours without a recordable injury.

Camp Quality volunteer Clara Butikofer said the donation is an honour as well as an asset to the organization and it will be primarily used for their summer camp program.

"We need funds to accommodate up to 100 people at camp and also provide all the food and necessities of life throughout that week," she said, adding the camp is not about finding the cause or a cure for cancer, but to give the children some fun while in treatment and remission.

AbitibiBowater’s senior vice-president of wood products Yves Laflamme said he’s impressed with Camp Quality’s mission and said which charity received the money was up to the employees of the Thunder Bay plant.

"It looks like the money is definitely going to the right place," he said. "The donation is from the employees. It’s their choice; they’re giving the money where they want."

This is the first time Camp Quality has been on the receiving end of the safety award from AbitibiBowater. The sawmill gave them $5,000 in 2007.

Laflamme said this is the third time the mill has received the award since 2007 and it’s a great accomplishment.

"This mill always had good performance in health and safety and sometimes people have the feeling if you push to more health and safety, you won’t have good productivity and costs, but they’ve been a leader in cost and productivity," Laflamme said. "The health and safety just goes the same with the performance of the mill."

He added that in today’s tough market, keeping costs low and people safe is the best way to stay alive.

Camp Quality will be running it’s 9^th summer camp in Northwestern Ontario this summer at Loon Lake at the United Church Camp in August.

Visit www.campquality.com for more information.