A Plan To Get Athletes To The Finish Line! - January 29, 2008
Reprint from the Globe and Mail Report on Business published on 01/12/07 Page B2.
Author: PAUL WALDIE
The Donor: Mr. Chris Cameron
The Donation: $20,000
The Cause: Canadian X-Country Championships
The Reason: To Help athletes attend the world championships
It's not exactly the Super Bowl and it probably won't bring a boost to the sales of his company, but when organizers of the Canadian Cross Country Championships asked Chris Cameron if he would sponsor the event, he jumped at the opportunity. "I said, 'Absolutely,' " recalled Mr. Cameron, a former competitive runner who manages software maker Angus GeoSolutions Inc. with his brother Geoff.
The company is not only covering the costs of the championships, which took place in Guelph, Ont., but it's also helping the Canadian men's and women's teams travel to the world championships in Scotland in March.
AGSI, based in Georgetown, Ont., is the first ever sponsor of the national event, which involves more than 800 athletes, and Mr. Cameron plans to stay involved.
Cross country receives scant funding, and until now runners who made the national team had to pay their own way to the world championships. "That's not a way to grow a society of runners or people who are interested in the sport," said Mr. Cameron, who is 44. "I like to find a way to make it a sport that is accessible to everyone."
Mr. Cameron's involvement in the sport also includes contributing to the track teams at the University of Guelph in Ontario, his alma mater, and sponsoring a running club for girls ages 9 to 12.
