On Wednesday, August 29th, 2018, the CSRO presented the Fraser Burton Corporate Champion Award to Allan Boyd and his team at Permobil in recognition of their exceptional commitment, dedication and outstanding support in helping us find a cure for spinal cord research. The award is given to a corporate partner that went above and beyond their corporate social responsibility.
The Fraser Burton award was created to honour two of our most treasured supporters and their families: Sandra Burton and Richard Fraser. Sandra and Richard’s involvement with the CSRO began following a spinal cord injury suffered by Sandra. After Sandra’s injury, the community rallied around Sandra and her family and started the annual golf tournament where the proceeds were donated to the Canadian Spinal Research Organization. Over the 12 years the tournament ran, it raised $175,000 for the CSRO.
Unfortunately, Richard too suffered a spinal cord injury later in his life. Following his injury, Richard and his wife showed even more dedication and commitment to helping the CSRO and their goal of finding a cure for paralysis. In 2004, Richard and his family hosted the Stittsville Victorian Luncheon, which grew from the first year having 32 guests in attendance to serving over 340 people. The Stittsville Victorian Luncheon raised $225,000 for the CSRO. Sadly, on April 18th 2017, Richard passed away peacefully, however, the legacy of the Fraser-Burton family has lived on.
We are eternally grateful to Sandra, Richard and their families for their commitment, dedication and support of the CSRO, and this award symbolizes our gratitude to Sandra and Richard while recognizing a current Corporate Champion.
The funds and support that Permobil has donated to the CSRO will go towards a number of our initiatives. Primarily, the funds will help us in achieving our goal to fund an Epidural Stimulation Study in Canada. The result of this study could be a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury. As wheelchair manufacturers, Permobil is aware of the issues that face the spinal cord injury community. It is very uplifting that a leader in the mobility device industry is willing to show their support and give back to affected communities.
Thank you Permobil for your help in our efforts to find a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury!
About Permobil:
Permobil develops, manufactures and markets wheelchairs, seating and positioning and communication systems for people with disabilities. Their products lead in quality, performance, safety and function – all to provide their community of users with the best possible compensation for their disabilities.