News Releases
TORONTO, October 27 2008 – It was a monstrously fun weekend with BMO Financial Group employees, families and friends raising $566,000 at the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone. The Halloween-themed bowling fundraiser took place in 32 communities across the country on October 25 and 26, 2008 and was a spook-tacular success.
“This was a very significant year for the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone because for the first time we had events taking place across Canada,” said Tom McAllister, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone. “Our gratitude goes out to BMO employees and participants of all ages who collected pledges and enjoyed a fun-filled day of bowling with friends and family. This year's event helped us to raise an amount equal to the cost of more than three weeks of 24-hour Counselling Centre operations.”
Started as a single-location event by BMO Financial Group employees in 1991, the BMO Boo-la-thon has raised funds for 18 years enabling Kids Help Phone's professional counsellors to continue being there for kids across Canada 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“BMO employees were out in full force this year, across the country, showing their support and raising much needed funds for Kids Help Phone,” said Sandra Hanington, Executive Vice President Customer Strategies and Marketing, BMO Bank of Montreal and Kids Help Phone board member. “We are thrilled to be able to support such an important organization that impacts youth from coast-to-coast.”
Sponsors for the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone included BMO Financial Group, AIR MILES Reward Program, The Hilton Family of Hotels, WestJet, Microsoft Zune and BOSS Print Creative.
Kids Help Phone
Kids Help Phone is Canada's only free, 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone and online counselling, referral and information service for children and youth. Every day, professional counsellors provide immediate, confidential and caring support to young people living in urban, rural and remote locations right across the country. Children and youth contact Kids Help Phone about every issue imaginable – from school, dating and family problems, to bullying/cyber-bullying, addiction and abuse. In 2007, Kids Help Phone touched the lives of children and youth in need from almost 3,000 Canadian communities more than two million times through its phone and online services.
Established in 1989, Kids Help Phone is recognized internationally as a leader in the delivery of phone and online counselling to kids. A charitable organization, Kids Help Phone employs more than 100 highly skilled counsellors and benefits from the support of more than 10,000 fundraising volunteers in communities from coast to coast, and the commitment of a growing number of leading Canadian companies and their employees.
About BMO Financial Group
As a founding sponsor of Kids Help Phone, BMO has been supporting the critical efforts of this organization since its inception in 1989 and, through BMO's extensive network of employee volunteers, provides leadership support for chapters of Kids Help Phone from coast to coast. In 2007 alone, notable contributions to Kids Help Phone from BMO Financial Group and its employees included $412,000 raised from the BMO Presidents' Cup Golf event, $200,000 annual sponsorship for Kids Help Phone's Student Ambassador Program and $460,000 raised during the employee-driven BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone and several other local fundraising initiatives. Kids Help Phone launched their first ever capital campaign in 2007 to raise $7.5 million to support their infrastructure of which BMO Financial Group gave the Visionary gift of $2 million.
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