Media Kit

Rural Man VanTM UnveilingMay 29, 2013

Interview with Tony Overwater, Strategic and Business Development Manager, Crop Production Services.

The Rural Man Van.Photo by Greg Overwater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Combines for Cures Rural Man Van Unveiled Calgary, AB [May 29, 2013]: Southern Alberta’s new Man VanTM was unveiled in an exciting celebration today in the town of High River. As part of the Prostate Cancer Centre’s (PCC) Combines for CuresTM initiative, the Man Van was built in Alberta from money raised through rural Albertan grain donations and key corporate sponsors. It will travel throughout the summer months, taking prostate cancer awareness and screening to men in rural southern Alberta communities.

As the Man Van was funded in part by the grain donations, Al Gaja and the Team at Crop Production Services (CPS) in High River was awarded the Frank Murphy Memorial Trophy today, sponsored by Tony and Sharon Overwater, for pledging the most grain towards the initiative. Throughout 2012, farmers and ranchers have supported Combines for Cures by making a cash donation or a donation of grain to a CPS Retail Outlet. Our grain partners, Western Feedlots and Richardson Pioneer, then converted that contribution to cash.

Combines for Cures, funded by key corporate sponsors: Agrium Inc., Bayer CropScience Inc., W. Brett Wilson and his 50th Birthday Colleagues (The “Birthday Boys”), Monsanto Canada Inc., and Penn West Exploration, gives men who are busy running their farming and ranching operations, who may not have time for regular visits to the doctor, the opportunity to visit the Man Van at a local testing event for screening.

W. Brett Wilson noted, “We [The Birthday Boys] are huge advocates of the work done by the Prostate Cancer Centre and are delighted to see its programs extended into rural southern Alberta. Combines for Cures fills a gap in educating farmers, ranchers and rural based men (and the women who love them) about the importance of taking the simple blood test for the early detection of prostate cancer.”

This new Man Van is one of only two mobile PSA testing units in Canada, joining Calgary’s first Man Van that has tested 10,000 men in Calgary since 2009.

An estimated eight men will die of prostate cancer each week in Alberta. Dr. Bryan Donnelly, urologist and Chair of Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre says, “If caught early, prostate cancer is treatable and curable. A prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test is one tool for detecting prostate cancer. The PSA test is not perfect but it is the best we’ve got. When I started in urology 36 years ago, 90 percent of the men I saw had advanced prostate cancer. Today, 90 percent have treatable cancer. The major difference is PSA blood testing.”

Combines for Cures was established to get men to take a simple blood test for the early detection of prostate cancer at mobile PSA blood testing clinics. It is a rural initiative of the PCC, a one-of-a kind success story with a mandate to provide excellence in prostate cancer education, diagnosis, treatment, awareness and research.

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Sarah GeddesManager of Rural InitiativesCombines for CuresTM

Phone: (403) 943.8953Cell: (403) 471.1866sarah.g@prostatecancercentre.ca

FOR MEDIA INQUIRES, PLEASE CALL:

Interview with Art Bosch, Man Van Driver Program Coordinator.

Rural Man Van UnveilingMay 29, 2013

To download high resolution copies of the photos or video simply click on an image. All links are housed on flickr for media use http://www.flickr.com/photos/96219009@N03/sets/72157633770862660/.

License plate on the Rural Man Van.Photo by Greg Overwater

Footage of the Man Van arriving in High River.

Mayor Emile Blokland of High River welcomes guests. Photo by Greg Overwater

Al Gaja (left), on behalf of the Team at Crop Production Services in High River, receives the Frank Murphy Memorial Trophy, presented by Tony Overwater (right). Photo by Greg Overwater

The interior of the Man Van - equipped with a flat screen television and designed to reflect rural Albertan landscapes. Photo by Greg Overwater

• In 2013, eight men on average will die every week in Alberta from prostate cancer.

• The Alberta Cancer Foundation predicts that one in seven Alberta men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

• Although potentially life-threatening, prostate cancer is extremely curable or treatable if caught early.

• Prostate cancer has no early symptoms. By the time symptoms occur – difficulty passing urine or pain in bones of lower back, hips or upper thighs, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate and may be incurable.

• A PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test is a simple tool that helps doctors in the early detection of prostate cancer.

• Combines for Cures™ is an initiative that brings prostate cancer screening to men in rural southern Alberta.

• Combines for Cures will use a mobile clinic called the Man Van™ that has tested over 9,000 men in Calgary since its inception four years ago.

• Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) is working on this initiative which is made possible by the generous sponsorship of agribusiness and in collaboration with rural doctors and nurses, and organizations. Through this initiative the PCC and its partners: Agrium, Bayer CropSciences, W. Brett Wilson and his 50th birthday colleagues (The Birthday Boys), Monsanto Canada and Penn West Exploration, will work to improve rural health, one man at a time.

• The Prostate Cancer Centre recommends that men establish a baseline PSA value at age 40.

• Unless your resulting PSA score is of concern to your doctor, the PSA test needs only be repeated every 5 years until age 50. At 50 it is recommended that men have an annual PSA test.

Combines for Cures Backgrounder

• Survival rates for prostate cancer have been improving for the last four years. We expect this has a lot to do with the importance that is being placed on early detection.

• The issue from PCC’s perspective is not around when you should get a PSA test but rather, what do you do with that information.

• Dr. Bryan Donnelly is a staff urologist at the Calgary Rockyview Hospital and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. He started in urology thirty-six years ago and is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. He is chairman of the Prostate Cancer Centre in Calgary, and a founding member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He currently holds the Seaman Chair for Clinical Research at the University of Calgary. “The PSA test is not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got” he says. “In the past, ninety percent of the men I saw had advanced prostate cancer. Today, ninety percent have treatable cancer. The one and only difference is PSA blood testing.”

• The Prostate Cancer Centre is a non-profit organization that aspires to excellence in prostate cancer education, diagnosis, treatment, awareness and research. We are located in the Southern Alberta Institute of Urology at the Rockyview General Hospital.

• Annually, over 6,000 men and their families visit the Prostate Cancer Centre to access medically sound information, diagnosis and treatment options and to receive support from volunteers who have experienced prostate disease.

• The Centre is a revolutionary, made-in-Alberta success story, unique in North America and funded entirely through the generosity of donors and sponsors.

For media inquiries, please contact:Pam Heard, Executive Director Prostate Cancer Centre Phone: (403) 943-8868 Cell: (403) 815-3679

For Rural Program Inquiries, please contact:Sarah Geddes, Manager of Rural Initiatives Combines for Cures™ Phone: (403) 943-8953

Combines for Cures Backgrounder

RURAL MAN VANTM CLINIC SCHEDULEThe MAN VANTM program helps with the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

The van brings a quick, simple free baseline PSA blood test to men. If you’re over 40, here’s where to get checked.

Saving L ives in Rural Communi t ies . . .One Man at a T ime

www.getchecked.ca 403 .943 .8953

Saturday & Sunday June 1 & 2, 20134-H on Parade Stampede Grounds, Calgary11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wednesday June 5, 2013Camrose CPS CPS Location4717 39th St., Camrose11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday June 6, 2013Trochu CPS Trochu Community CentreN. Field Rd., Trochu11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Saturday June 15, 2013Pete Knight Days Parade & RodeoCrossfield Rodeo Grounds12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Saturday June 22, 2013 “Rural Ride for Dad Event”Zion Church Main St., Didsbury3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Sunday July 7, 2013Hays Stampede BreakfastHeritage Park, CalgaryParking Lot B7:00 am - 9:30 am

Tuesday July 16, 2013Canada Malting Ltd.Annual Farmers & Ranchers Classic Golf Tournament Innisfail Golf Course, Innisfail11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday & Saturday July 19 & 20, 2013World Ploughing ChampionshipsOlds College, Olds10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday July 25, 2013Agri-Food Canada Alberta Agriculture Field Development CentreHwy 2A, Lacombe7:30 am - 9:00 am & 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Friday July 27, 2013Richardson Pioneer 100th Anniversary CelebrationRichardson Pioneer Elevator, Olds11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Rural Man Van Clinic ScheduleSaturday & Sunday June 1 & 2, 2013 4-H on Parade Stampede Grounds, Calgary 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wednesday June 5, 2013 Camrose CPS CPS Location 4717 39th St., Camrose 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday June 6, 2013 Trochu CPS Trochu Community Centre N. Field Rd., Trochu 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Saturday June 15, 2013 Pete Knight Days Parade & Rodeo Crossfield Rodeo Grounds 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Saturday June 22, 2013 “Rural Ride for Dad Event” Zion Church Main St., Didsbury 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Sunday July 7, 2013 Hays Stampede Breakfast Heritage Park, Calgary Parking Lot B 7:00 am - 9:30 am

Tuesday July 16, 2013 Canada Malting Ltd. Annual Farmers & Ranchers Classic Golf Tournament Innisfail Golf Course, Innisfail 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday & Saturday July 19 & 20, 2013 World Ploughing Championships Olds College, Olds 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday July 25, 2013 Agri-Food Canada Alberta Agriculture Field Development Centre Hwy 2A, Lacombe 7:30 am - 9:00 am & 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Friday July 27, 2013 Richardson Pioneer 100th Anniversary Celebration Richardson Pioneer Elevator, Olds 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

For additional dates and more information on these events, please visit www.getchecked.ca or call (403) 943-8953.

Saving Lives in Rural Communities...One Man at a Time

PROUD SPONSORS

RURAL MAN VANTM CLINIC SCHEDULEThe MAN VANTM program helps with the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.

The van brings a quick, simple free baseline PSA blood test to men. If you’re over 40, here’s where to get checked.

Saving L ives in Rural Communi t ies . . .One Man at a T ime

www.getchecked.ca 403 .943 .8953

Saturday & Sunday June 1 & 2, 20134-H on Parade Stampede Grounds, Calgary11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wednesday June 5, 2013Camrose CPS CPS Location4717 39th St., Camrose11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday June 6, 2013Trochu CPS Trochu Community CentreN. Field Rd., Trochu11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Saturday June 15, 2013Pete Knight Days Parade & RodeoCrossfield Rodeo Grounds12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Saturday June 22, 2013 “Rural Ride for Dad Event”Zion Church Main St., Didsbury3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Sunday July 7, 2013Hays Stampede BreakfastHeritage Park, CalgaryParking Lot B7:00 am - 9:30 am

Tuesday July 16, 2013Canada Malting Ltd.Annual Farmers & Ranchers Classic Golf Tournament Innisfail Golf Course, Innisfail11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday & Saturday July 19 & 20, 2013World Ploughing ChampionshipsOlds College, Olds10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Thursday July 25, 2013Agri-Food Canada Alberta Agriculture Field Development CentreHwy 2A, Lacombe7:30 am - 9:00 am & 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Friday July 27, 2013Richardson Pioneer 100th Anniversary CelebrationRichardson Pioneer Elevator, Olds11:00 am - 2:00 pm