HCCC Award of Distinction 2010
Presented to Mac Voisin, Founder and Chair, M&M Meat Shops; Philanthropist; Community Leader
Mac Voisin has been selected as the recipient of HCCC’s 2010 Award of Distinction. The selection committee considered a range of criteria such as volunteerism, scope of influence, geographic scope of service, community outreach and the advancement of the charitable health sector. Mr. Voisin was chosen for his considerable contributions to the charitable health sector through his work with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC), where he has made a tremendous difference through his support for cure-directed research into a common disease – inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD was a previously “orphaned” disease in the sense that little research funding occurred in this area in Canada prior to his involvement.
Through Mac’s support, and by extension the more than 465 M&M Meat Shops franchisees from coast-to-coast in Canada, the CCFC has been able to significantly advance the health research agenda for the more than 200,000 Canadians affected by IBD and, by extension, influence public policy. Without the support of Mac Voisin, it is possible that IBD would have remained an “orphaned” disease in Canada.
It has been through the support of Mac Voisin that the CCFC, Canada’s leading funder in IBD research, has become the number one per capita funder of IBD research in the non-governmental sector in the world and one of the top globally in absolute terms. His support has enabled the CCFC to fund genetic discoveries for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis; contribute to better therapies; and launch the “Framingham Study” for IBD – a $5.5 million GEM (genetic, environmental, microbial) Project which involves twenty regional collaborative centres across Canada and up to 5,000 persons being followed over a period of five years to find out what triggers Crohn’s disease. Without Mac’s support of the CCFC and IBD research, the GEM Project would not have been possible.
Over the past 21 years Mac and his associates have raised an astounding $18.3 million towards finding a cure for inflammatory bowel disease. This represents approximately one quarter of all IBD research funded by the CCFC over the past two decades. Mac is an inspiration to other philanthropists. There can be no doubt that he has made an outstanding difference in the lives thousands of Canadians, in addition to people suffering from Crohn’s and Colitis worldwide.
Mac is a most deserving candidate for the Health Charities Coalition of Canada’s 2010 Award of Distinction. On behalf of all the members of HCCC, thank you, Mac, for your exceptional contributions to the CCFC and to the many Canadians who have benefited from your dedication to supporting health research in Canada.
This award will be presented to Mr. Voisin at HCCC’s Annual Roundtable Meeting, to be held on April 8, 2010 in Toronto.
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The Health Charities Coalition of Canada 2010 Award of Distinction was presented to Mac Voisin on April 8th in Toronto during its Annual Roundtable Meeting.
Mac with Max Beck (right), Chair, HCCC
From Left to Right: Dr. Kevin Glasgow, CEO, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada; Marcela Bahar; Mac Voisin; Max Beck, Chair, HCCC; Deirdre Freiheit, Executive Director, HCCC.
2009 - Dr. Barbara Whylie, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Cancer Society
2008 - Dr. Alan Bernstein, Executive Director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and former President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research