Husky Energy donates $1 million to The Banff Centre

Million-dollar Husky Energy donation to Banff Centre will support tomorrow’Äôs artists

Canada’Äôs next generation of artists will have access to career-changing professional development programs at The Banff Centre, thanks to $1-million in support from Husky Energy Inc.
Mary Hofstetter, president and CEO of The Banff Centre, says Husky’Äôs support will have a transformative impact on the careers of emerging artists from across Canada. ’ÄúFor many young artists, the opportunity to attend a Banff Centre program marks a turning point in their career. This generous donation will not only enable promising young artists to come to Banff, it will also help us bring in faculty who are at the top of their field to mentor those artists.’Äù

’ÄúWe are proud to support the work of The Banff Centre and the role it plays in nurturing young artists,’Äù said Husky Energy President & Chief Executive Officer John C.S. Lau. ’ÄúInvesting in their dreams and creative energy will benefit communities across Canada and around the world.’Äù

John Lau and his wife Heather are long-term supporters of The Banff Centre. Husky is the presenting sponsor of the Banff Midsummer Ball which raised more than $586,000 this year for scholarships and creative arts programs at the Centre. Husky has been a supporter of the Centre since 1986, and presenting sponsor of the Midsummer Ball since 1998. The event is the flagship fundraiser for The Banff Centre, and is one of the most successful arts-related fundraising functions in Canada, raising over $4.2 million for artists scholarships from 1998 to 2009.

Husky’Äôs $1-million donation to the Campaign for The Banff Centre will be directed to continued support for the Midsummer Ball, and to the revitalization of Centre’Äôs campus. As part of the Banff Centre Revitalization project, the largest meeting space in the new Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation, to open in July 2010, will be named the Husky Great Hall.

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Husky Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest energy and energy-related companies. From 2004 to 2008, Husky invested over $25 million in community and charitable organizations. A post-secondary learning institution located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, The Banff Centre is Canada's creative leader in arts and culture.