November 25, 1997
The Hospital for Sick Children conducts research at Bay & Adelaide
TORONTO - In a celebration of Canadian research achievements, Sick Kids wants everyone to look for genes. That's the idea behind its new mural located at Bay & Adelaide streets, on the largest outdoor advertising face in Canada.
The 134- by 105-foot wall is painted with images of DNA strands. The headline reads"Finding disease-causing genes in DNA is 100,000 times harder than finding the white pins on this wall. We did it. Can you? Hint: Use the microscope."
This is the first interactive wall in the world. Two viewfinders (the "microscopes") are located on the sidewalk in front of the wall. Passers-by can use them to scan the wall for the hidden pins. Each pin highlights one of 10 genes discovered at SickKids. For example, beneath one pin it reads "1989: Cystic Fibrosis".
Although the viewfinders are free, money collected will go towards research at the hospital.
The mural is part of an advertising campaign that supports an $82-million effort to raise funds for research. Research has a long and illustrious history at SickKids, but not many people outside of the medical community know about it.
The advertising is designed to paint a broader picture of the work that's done within the Hospital, showing people that, while research helps make SickKids better, stable funding is necessary for the Hospital to remain at the forefront of child health care.
The ad campaign was created by Toronto agency Ranscombe & Co., and includes TV, radio, full-page newspaper, subway posters and outdoor. Creative credits go to creative director Jim Ranscombe, copywriter Tony Miller, and art directors Boris Matas and Lance Martin of Ranscombe & Co.
The wall has been sponsored by members of Canada's mutual fund industry.
Presenters:
- Michael Strofolino, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children
- Dianne Lister, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation
- Dr. Brian Shaw, Chief of Professional Services, Community & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children
- Dr. Manuel Buchwald, Chief of Research, The Hospital for Sick Children
- Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui, Geneticist-in-Chief, The Hospital for Sick Children
Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue
Suite 1742, Public Affairs, First floor Atrium
Toronto,
ON
M5G 1X8
Canada
Phone: 416-813-5058
Fax: 416-813-5328