Camrose, Alberta, August 11, 2005 – St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose Foundation is benefiting from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund with a donation of $25,000.

Through the FCC AgriSpirit Fund, St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose Foundation is receiving funds to assist in their efforts to purchase a Computed Tomography Scanner (CT Scanner) and PAC System for radiologic images. In the East Central Health region there are over 109,000 residents living in 84 communities. Annually, more than 3,000 people leave their community for a CT scan to be performed in the city of Edmonton. CT Scanners are no longer a luxury but considered a standard of care at hospitals serving this constituency.

“We’re proud to give back to rural Canada and to the people of Camrose where our customers and employees live and work,” says FCC District Manager Alberta East, Sandy Kirtzinger. “The enthusiasm of Canadians is evident in the effort required to accomplish projects of this magnitude in our rural communities. It’s that spirit and passion that makes Alberta a great place to live.”

"Outstanding local support, such as this huge $25,000 donation from FCC, has enabled us to purchase a standard diagnostic tool (CT Scanner). This equipment will allow rural residents of the Camrose area to stay in the community rather than travel to larger centres for this procedure," says Carol Green, Public Relation and Volunteer Coordinator, St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose Foundation.

In November 2004, FCC announced the AgriSpirit Fund. This Fund awarded $400,000 towards capital projects for rural communities with populations under 100,000. FCC selected 38 projects from 489 applications and will donate between $5,000 to $25,000 per venture to create or enhance facilities in these communities. A significant amount of time and consideration went into each evaluation including how the project would make a difference to the population of the rural area.

The FCC AgriSpirit Fund will continue for a second year. Details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be posted this fall through the FCC website at www.fcc-fac.ca.

Operating out of 100 offices located primarily in rural Canada, FCC employees are passionate about the business of agriculture. FCC's healthy portfolio of more than $11 billion and 12 consecutive years of portfolio growth are a reflection of our customers' success.

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For more information, please contact:

Sandy Kirtzinger
Farm Credit Canada
District Manager Alberta East
(780) 679-3254

Nadine Hakim
Farm Credit Canada (Bilingual)
Corporate Communications
(306) 780-8572