Bell Employee

Sean Bertie

Fargo, N.D.

Recipient

Colleen Veneruzzo

The Need

Sean Bertie’s Pay It Forward request traveled a long way – all the way to his native Canada – to help someone he knew battling cancer.

Colleen, Sean explained, was re-diagnosed with what is thought to be a radiation-induced cancer following breast cancer treatment. This step has made Colleen’s already-long journey longer, and even more daunting. Although Canada has universal health care, a needed visit to the Mayo Clinic was not covered, which meant large expenses for travel and appointments.

The Impact

When Sean put out the call for pooled Pay It Forward funds to his colleagues at Bell Bank and Bell Insurance, he saw firsthand the value of Bell’s team members and how they pull together to help.

“It’s hard to explain the value of what [the family] feels for what we did,” says Sean, adding that Colleen found it “unbelievable” that people from the U.S., who didn’t know her, would participate in the outreach of paying it forward to her.

“When you think about the Pay It Forward program and you have other people in your organization asking for help, I think your thought process gets a little larger on who needs help,” Sean explains. “You think a little bit more of how you can give.”

It’s a concept, and an expansion of the giving mindset, that makes Sean proud to be at Bell.

“Just the top-down leadership and this idea of paying it forward,” Sean says. “ … It’s just an unbelievable place to be.”

During Colleen’s initial medical appointments in Toronto, professionals stated there was a 1% survivor rate for the recurrence she has. But through further consults and care, Colleen and her family now have a treatment plan. While the outcome is yet to be determined, they are grateful for the help with their expenses. For Colleen, the journey continues, with support from her family and friends – including at Bell, half a continent away.

Through the Pay It Forward program, Bell gives employees money each year to donate to people in need and causes they care about.