NEWS

June 15, 2010

Cognis Canada employees climb CN Tower in Toronto for charity

At 553 meters, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is one of the world’s tallest buildings. The view from the top will take your breath away – but possibly less so than the ascent, if you make it on foot via the 1,776 steps. Nevertheless, that was the challenge that five employees from Cognis Canada set themselves in April this year, when they took part in the WWF Tower Climb. This event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund to raise money for the fight against global warming, this year attracted 2,000 participants.

Fund-raising and fun. To secure their places in the event, participants had to commit to raising a minimum of 150 Canadian dollars each in sponsorship. Cognis Canada generously offered to top up the contributions of its climbers if needed, but in fact all the team members managed to raise the necessary money from their friends, family and colleagues – 1,138 dollars in total. The support of their colleague Nancy Holman, who made and sold candy treats to raise donations, was appreciated. Frans des Tombe, Legal Representative Cognis Canada, also designed special T-shirts for the climbers.

The ascent took the Cognis team an average of 27 minutes. At the top, they grabbed some much needed liquid refreshment and took a few minutes to go outside and appreciate the view.

“Can’t wait to do it again.” Despite their aching muscles, all the climbers greatly enjoyed the event. “It’s great to be able to say I have walked all the way to the top of the tower,” says Karen Dhanraj, Account Manager Nutrition & Health, who organized the Cognis team. “We can’t wait to do it again next year.” However, for this year, walking one way was enough – all the participants were more than happy to take the elevator down.