Pacific Blue Cross announces winner of #sharethecare campaign in support of B.C. charities

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 28, 2016) - Today Pacific Blue Cross announced that the West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society is the winner of its 75^th anniversary Share the Care campaign. The society will receive a $50,000 donation from Pacific Blue Cross Health Foundation for achieving the most votes for its video storytelling campaign. The runner up and recipient of $10,000 is Charlford House Society for Women in Burnaby, BC.

The Pacific Blue Cross Health Foundation arrived at five finalists from a list of 70 organizations it has funded to help improve health and wellbeing in BC. Foundation members then asked British Columbians to vote for their favourites in a video storytelling campaign.

Each organization was guaranteed a $5,000 donation for participating, with donations increased to $50,000 and $10,000 for the two videos that received the most votes. Over 16,000 British Columbians voted during the three week campaign. The total giveaway adds up to $75,000.

The winner, West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society based in Nelson, BC, is helping to increase access to basic dental care for low income families. Mara Sand, a Board Director for the organization, explained in her video that the $50,000 donation would allow the introduction of satellite clinics so everyone can access care in the Kootenay boundary area.

The runner up, Charlford House Society for Women in Burnaby, BC, is known as 'the house of miracles' and provides a supportive recovery home for women ready to move on from their substance addictions. The $10,000 donation will go towards buying a 'forever home' for the society, which currently operates out of a rented space.

"All five organizations that participated play an important role in improving health and wellbeing in B.C.," says Pacific Blue Cross president and CEO Jan K. Grude. "We are grateful to all of the storytellers for allowing us to share their journeys and to British Columbians for doing their part to share the care."

Each of the following finalists receives a $5,000 donation:

• Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC (Crisis Centre)
• Streetohome
• Canim Lake Band Wellness Centre - Tsq'escenemc People

All of the organizations' videos and winner announcement can be viewed at http://www.pac.bluecross.ca/75thAnniversary and shared via social media using the hashtag #sharethecare.