The partnership between the Calgary Stampeders and Alberta Children’s Hospital was launched in 2008 and expanded in 2009.

The Every Yard Counts Program, presented by Olympia Trust, is launched prior to the start of the Canadian Football League season with a visit to the Alberta Children's Hospital by Stampeders players, members of the Outriders and Ralph the Dog.

>> Video of the 2011 launch

Even before the football club's formal involvement, the Every Yard Counts initiative has had a Stampeders flavour for quite a while as Stamps alumnus Vince Danielsen has been involved with the program for more than a decade.

Veteran Justin Phillips is the current Stamps spokesman for the Every Yard Counts initiative.

In addition to the season-opening event, Stampeders players visit children in the hospital prior to every home game. Also, two patients of the oncology department attend each home game as Danielsen’s personal guests and tour the Stamps locker-room afterwards.

Olympia Trust proudly sponsors the program and will donate 500 single-game tickets to the hospital. The Stamps also donated 20 season tickets to the hospital for patients to utilize as part of the program.

The 2008 season of the partnership between the Stampeders and the Alberta Children's Hospital ended with a bang. The guys dropped in to visit the kids and they brought along a very special item — the Grey Cup trophy.