What’s New: In brief (June 08, 2006)

KRG Children’s Charitable Foundation has offered Muskoka-based CNIB Lake Joseph Centre (Lake Jo), which is a camp for visually impaired children and their families, a cornerstone gift of CD$500,000 toward their “Restoring the Spirit” campaign. The capital campaign aims to raise enough money to rebuild the entire camp facility. The generous donation from KRG will be donated to Lake Jo over a five-year period with CD$100,000 being donated per year starting June 2006. Steven Wise, chairman of The KRG Children’s Charitable Foundation, says KRG’s cornerstone gift will “set the wheels in motion to “Restoring the Spirit” at Lake Jo. “Lake Jo is a very special place and the children who will benefit and enjoy the camp should have a state-of-the-art facility,” Wise concluded as he presented the cheque to the CNIB Capital Campaign committee on June 7, 2006. Other generous gifts recently offered by KRG include:
*A CD$15,000 donation to the CHFI radiothon in support of the Canadian Women’s Foundation Girls’ Program;
* The presentation of a wheelchair access van to a family with five physically challenged children;
* The donation of CD$50,000 to, and the establishment of a KRG House at, The Children’s Safety Village, located in Bruce’s Mills York Region;
* A five-year commitment of CD$250,000 to Camp Oochegeas, which is a camp for children living with cancer, as well as the presentation of “The Oochmobile,” a camp vehicle leased through Discount Car and Truck Rental;
* A donation of CD$500,000 to renovate the Burns, Plastics and Cranial-Facial Unit at The Hospital for Sick Children in addition to previous funding to renovate the hospital’s emergency ward and its nurses lounge as well as an on-going project to create a commissioned mural-painting in the common areas of the hospital;
* A CD$50,000 donation to the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness and as a result is the founding sponsor of the child safety awareness program;
* A CD$50,000 donation to Today’s Parent Magazine to support their “For Kids Sake” competition, which recognizes five individuals who have made a considerable difference in the lives of children with the donation of $10,000 to the charity of their choice;
* A CD$25,000 donation through CFRB, Easy 97 radio events for The Hospital for Sick Children; and,
* A CD$10,000 donation, through the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness, to a ‘beautification project’ in North York featuring a mural by artist Ian Leventhal.
KRG continues to fund Variety Village, The Children’s Aid Society, Zareinu, a educational and therapeutic outlet for children with physical and developmental disabilities, and the Jean Tweed Centre, an Ontario-based treatment facility for women with substance abuse problems.

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services have offered their sponsorship to the 25th edition of the “Mondial des Cultures de Drummondville.” During the entire event, which will take place from July 6 to 16, 2006, Industrial Alliance will be associated with a folkloric ensemble. As a major sponsor, the Company will also be the exclusive presenter of a concert featuring the Drummondville Symphony Orchestra, its choir and a dance company in order to underline the event’s 25th anniversary. “For a quarter of a century, Drummondville’s Mondial des Cultures has stood out as one of the most important events of the summer season in Quebec,” Yvon Charest, president and CEO of Industrial Alliance, says. “Its broad spectrum attracts many visitors to the Drummondville area.” Committed to the community’s best interests, Industrial Alliance will act as a cultural ambassador in different regions of Canada. The Company’s participation in the Drummondville area’s cultural life comes in the wake of other such commitments including Festival Vancouver, the Calgary Opera, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and the Festival International du Domaine Forget in Charlevoix.