Cenovus teams up with Alberta Children's Hospital to fight childhood cancer

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) CALGARY, Alberta - April 8, 2011 - Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX, NYSE: CVE) is proud to announce that the company has committed $1.3 million to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation to help experts at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in the fight against childhood cancer. Cenovus’s gift is specifically directed to support the pediatric Blood & Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program.

“With support from the community, our hospital has become recognized nationally for its high success rates in BMT survival and low rates of graft-versus-host disease, a potentially fatal complication from transplant,” says Saifa Koonar, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. “This generous gift from Cenovus will help our experts continue to expand and improve the use of BMT for kids with cancer and those with other life-threatening diseases.”

“We’re extremely pleased to commit $1.3 million to help further the Blood & Marrow Transplant program and increase the survival rate of children fighting cancer,’’ said Brian Ferguson, Cenovus President & Chief Executive Officer. “We’re heartened by the leading-edge work being done at the hospital by the doctors, nurses, researchers and other staff seeking innovative ways to treat cancer and other serious illnesses. All of us at Cenovus are humbled by the courage of the patients who deal with this every day.”

Seven-year-old Hannah Baartman received a life-saving bone marrow transplant five years ago to cure a rare blood disorder. She and her mom, Andrea, personally thanked Brian Ferguson for the support from Cenovus for kids like her. “Finding out that a BMT could save Hannah was an incredible source of hope for us,” says Andrea. “And now, this gift from Cenovus is going to provide that same life-saving hope to countless other kids and families.”

Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation raises funds for excellence in child health, research and family centred care. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation provides funding for innovative programs, state-of-the-art equipment, advanced medical training and internationally-recognized pediatric research.

Cenovus Energy Inc. is a Canadian, integrated oil company. It is committed to applying fresh, progressive thinking to safely and responsibly unlock energy resources the world needs. Operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, which use specialized methods to drill and pump the oil to the surface, and established natural gas and oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The company also has 50% ownership in two U.S. refineries. Cenovus shares trade under the symbol CVE, and are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.cenovus.com.

ALBERTA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION CONTACT:
Justine Clay
Manager, Community Engagement
403-955-8824 or 403-801-4198
jclay@achf.com

CENO13012