Vertrue Good Works

Whether it’s an annual Toys for Tots or Food Bank drive, a one-time relief effort in response to a natural disaster, or a chance to provide work experience to young adults who might not otherwise have such an opportunity, Vertrue takes community involvement very seriously.

On a sunny day in the summer of 2000, employees of Vertrue's Canadian subsidiary looked out their office windows and saw a Big Bike with 30 people pedaling down the street.  Their curiosity piqued, they researched the event and discovered that it was a charitable effort to raise money for the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

The employees were intrigued by the idea of sharing a Big Bike, and the idea of helping the Montreal Children's Hospital appealed to them even more, so they called the organizers and convinced them to let Vertrue's Canadian subsidiary have the last spot on the Big Bike tour by raising $2,000 in charitable donations in two days.

Since 2000, the employees have surpassed the minimum standards and have ridden on the Big Bike each year.  In 2006 alone, they raised $10,000 in donations for the Children’s Hospital.

The Big Bike Ride involves a 30-seat Big Bike making seven trips a day for five days through Montreal's downtown area.  To qualify for rides each year, 35 separate teams actively work to raise funds throughout the year.  In 2006, over 1,050 people solicited charitable funds from 8,000 donors, with 15 sponsors involved in the overall effort.

Most importantly, the Big Bike Ride has raised $4.5 million over the past 13 years.  This money supports many needs of the Montreal Children’s Hospital:

1. The purchase of life-saving equipment for the hospital, including two Giraffe incubators in 2005
2. The renovation of child-activity areas to improve the comfort of patients and their parents during hospital stays
3. Innovative programs like “Dr. Clown,” which brings professionally trained, therapeutic clowns in to visit with the patients and make their hospital stays more tolerable

As part of its fundraising efforts, the company puts on a variety of events, including bake sales, day-off raffles, used book sales, ice cream days, and much more.  100% of the proceeds raised through the efforts of the company's employees go to the charity fund.  The employees are proud of their participation in the Big Bike Ride initiative and look forward to contributing to the Montreal Children’s Hospital for many years to come.