Capital One Canada Competition Results in $35,000 Donation to The Foundation Fighting Blindness

Internal contest empowers associates to be philanthropists

TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Capital One Canada will donate $35,000 to The Foundation Fighting Blindness as a result of an internal contest that empowers associates to compete to win funds to support their charity of choice. The "Who Wants to Be a Philanthropist" contest, gives Capital One's Canadian associate-base an opportunity to champion a charity or cause they believe in and engages the Canadian associates to vote on which charities will receive the top prizes.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness, championed by Capital One associate, Golnavaz Hormozdyaran will receive the $35,000 grand prize. Associates at the company also voted to donate $20,000 to the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness and $10,000 to the Children's Wish Foundation for coming in second and third place respectively.

"The Foundation Fighting Blindness invests in ground breaking vision research, giving hope to children and families living with vision loss," said Capital One associate and grand prize winner, Golnavaz Hormozdyaran. "I am very proud and grateful to Capital One for giving me the opportunity to bring greater awareness to this cause, which is so close to my heart. The $35,000 will bring the charity closer to achieving their ultimate vision of restoring the gift of sight to people living with blindness."

"The Foundation is honoured to win Capital One Canada's "Who wants to be a Philanthropist" associate contest," says Sharon Colle, President & CEO with the Foundation Fighting Blindness. "This meaningful contribution will support Dr. Robert Koenekoop of the Montreal Children`s Hospital, as he and his team continue their world-renowned research into Leber Congenital Amaurosis - a rare form of childhood blindness. We are especially grateful to Capital One associate, Golnavaz Hormozdyaran, for championing the Foundation and the importance of vision research in Canada."

Launched in 2007, the "Who Wants to be a Philanthropist" contest is designed to give Capital One's Canadian associates a strong voice in how the company allocates its charitable dollars. The program was built on the premise that Capital One's charitable giving should represent the dedication of its associates and the passion they have for the community.

"Deciding which charities to support is never an easy task because there are so many deserving organizations," said Shane Holdaway, President of Capital One Canada. "This is why we created the "Who Wants to be a Philanthropist" contest, to empower our associates to collectively decide which organizations we should support. I want to thank all of the participants in this year's "Who Wants to be a Philanthropist" contest, especially Golnavaz Hormozdyaran, for being outstanding champions of such great causes!"

About Capital One
With offices in Toronto and Montreal, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard credit cards since 1996, and now includes the Aspire suite of rewards cards which are regularly cited by leading rewards experts for the great value they offer consumers.  Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).

SOURCE: Capital One Services, Inc.