Kemptville, Ontario, August 11, 2005 – The Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund makes a donation of $10,000 to the Kemptville District Hospital.

The Kemptville District Hospital is receiving assistance from the FCC AgriSpirit Fund to build and renovate 27,000 square feet. This expansion will allow all emergency and out patient services to be located on one floor. Kemptville is one of the fastest growing communities in Eastern Ontario and this is the largest renovation undertaken since 1969.

“We’re proud to give even more back to rural Canada and to the community of Kemptville where our customers and employees live and work,” says FCC District Manager John Gregory. “The enthusiasm of Canadians is evident in the projects that are being created in our rural communities. It’s that spirit and passion that makes Ontario a great place to live.”

"We really appreciate the support of the AgriSpirit fund for this project. Community based health care is a vital part of what keeps rural communities together and strong. It is very important to the growth of Kemptville," says Chris Must, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Kemptville District Hospital.

From the 489 applications received this past winter, FCC selected 38 projects from across Canada.

In November 2004, FCC announced the AgriSpirit Fund. This Fund awarded $400,000 towards capital projects for rural communities with populations under 100,000. These projects will receive between $5,000 to $25,000 to create or enhance facilities in their community. A significant amount of time and consideration went into each evaluation including how the project would make a difference in the community.

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:

John Gregory
Farm Credit Canada
District Manager
(613) 271-7194

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