Music: {allcanada} BERNARD JOINS BOARD OF SCHMIRLER FOUNDATION

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

{allcanada} BERNARD JOINS BOARD OF SCHMIRLER FOUNDATION

Olympic silver medalist Cheryl Bernard was elected to the Board of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation on Monday. Bernard is a four-time Alberta women's champion, Canadian runner-up, TSN Skins finalist and has maintained a Top 5 status on the World Curling Tour for the past eight years.

"We are thrilled that Cheryl has joined our volunteer Board and look forward to her leadership as we fulfill our mission by caring for babies in crisis through direct giving to neonatal care across Canada", said Jody Meli, Chair of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.

"Cheryl is one of the most admired curlers in the world," said Meli. "Not just for her prowess on the ice but for her commitment to community and to giving back and dedicating herself to causes that she has a personal connection to."

The Sandra Schmirler Foundation was created in 2001 as a legacy to Sandra Schmirler who passed away at the age of 36, shortly after the birth of her second daughter. The Foundation was established in honour of Sandra's lasting legacy as a mother and the skip of Canada's first Olympic gold medal curling team. The Foundation raises and donates funds to hospitals across Canada for the care of premature and critically ill babies with the belief that all "champions start small."

"I am honoured to have had my name put forward as a Director of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation," said Bernard. "Sandra was a true champion, not just on the ice but in everything that she aspired to be. The Olympics became a dream of mine because of watching Sandra and her team in 1988 in Nagano."

In the ten years since the Foundation was established it has given over $1.6 million to 19 different hospitals across Canada. The Sandra Schmirler Foundation is the only national charity in Canada devoted solely to the care of premature and critically ill newborn babies.