Posted August 25, 2011 0 comments All money raised goes to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation The Saint John office of T4G Limited is in deep this Saturday competing with 40 other Dragon Boat teams to help raise upwards of $250,000 for spinal and eye surgery equipment for St. Joseph’s hospital. “This day is always one of the most fun of the entire summer,” says Mark Ryan, a BI developer and Team Captain of the T4G “In-Oar-Vators”. “We’re in tough with our first race being a grudge match against (T4G President) Geoff Flood’s brothers’ two teams; one from ScotiaMcLeod and the other from the family construction business, John Flood & Sons Ltd.,” Mark says. “It’s safe to say there will be a ‘flood of emotions’ on the river during that race.” That race is slated to go at 9:41 a.m. on the Kennebecasis River at the Renforth Wharf in Rothesay. The day-long festival begins August 27 at 8 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. when a champion dragon boat team will be crowned. “Sure, there’s some healthy competition during all the races but no one forgets the reason why we’re there and to have a fabulous time,” says Geoff Flood. This year’s festival will raise funds to purchase innovative equipment including a Radiolucent Spinal Operating Table for Surgical Services and a SLT Laser for the Ophthalmology Clinic. The purchase of these two pieces of equipment, at a total cost of $223,000, will allow St. Joseph’s to expand the excellent patient care the community has come to rely on. Money is raised through a $1,000 registration fee per team, as well as donations, sales of food and drinks, raffle tickets and much more. In past years, around $250,000 has usually been tallied. T4Gers have already raised more than $2,000 this summer for St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation through weekly barbeques, community yard sales and selling baked goods at farmers’ markets. “Volunteering and putting ‘things back into the community’ are nothing new at T4G,” Mark says, “everyone working here knows that and recognizes it is all part of what makes it a special place to work.” Beyond racing, T4Gers will be setting up a Tiki Hut at the festival, complete with palm trees, Hawaiian music, refreshments and food, to host competitors and visitors. Dragon Boat teams consist of 20 paddlers - a minimum of 8 women is required - a drummer, who keeps the beat of the stroke and a trained steersperson, provided by the festival. Due to their design and size, dragon boats are very stable and are highly suitable for beginners. No experience is necessary to participate and many participants may have never picked up a paddle before their first practice. Good luck T4Gers, and paddle hard! ABOUT T4G We design, develop, and implement technology solutions to help customers run their businesses better. Our philosophy is based on The Intelligent Application of Technology™, which uses a project-based approach to solve business problems & deliver measurable value. T4G was founded in 1996 as an innovative, creative, customer-driven and fiscally-responsible organization. Today we have offices in seven cities across North America serving customers in Retail, Travel and Hospitality, Energy, Financial Services, Professional Services, Health and Life Sciences, Government and Communications. Beyond business, we are active participants in our communities. In 2007, T4G created the Future Focus Foundation. This registered charity supports organizations that focus on children’s education & learning, and also demonstrate a high social return on investment. For more information: www.t4g.com
