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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 11, 2012) - There are close to four million young people in Canada who are of prime trick-or-treating age. On October 27 and 28, more than 50 communities across Canada will be there for those young people, and many more, by hitting the lanes with a bowling fundraiser at the 2012 BMO Boolathon in support of Kids Help Phone.

"This is BMO's 22^nd year in support of the Boolathon, which started in 1991," said Richard Rudderham, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, BMO Financial Group and 2012 BMO Boolathon Honourary Chair. "Since then, it has steadily grown into a fun, family-friendly Halloween-themed bowling event in which everyone is welcome to participate and unite for a good cause."

The ideal trick-or-treating ages fall between five and 14 years old. That age group also falls within Kids Help Phone's service mandate, which offers help and hope to kids, teens, and young adults between five and 20 years old.

Every week, these young people reach out 5,000 times to a Kids Help Phone professional counsellor for support over the phone or online. These young people turn to the professional counsellors at Kids Help Phone with problems their friends can't help fix, with questions many educators aren't equipped to answer or with worries parents may not understand.

Kids Help Phone is Canada's leading youth counselling service, a registered charity that relies on fundraising events like the Boolathon to raise the critical funds needed to ensure 24/7/365 service remains available to the 6.5 million young people in Canada.

BMO and Kids Help Phone aim to raise $1.2 million in this year's Boolathon.

This year's Boolathon takes place in the following communities:

British Columbia: Abbotsford, Burnaby, Nanaimo, North Shore, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria

Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Ponoka, Red Deer

Saskatchewan: Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon

Manitoba: Winnipeg

Ontario: Barrie, Brantford, Chatham, Cornwall, Goderich, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Leamington/Essex, London, Niagara, Orillia, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Quinte, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, Stratford, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Windsor

Ontario GTA: Brampton, Durham (Oshawa), Etobicoke, Mississauga, North York, Toronto (Yorkdale), York Region (Richmond Hill)

Quebec: Montreal, Québec City

New Brunswick: Moncton, Fredericton

Newfoundland & Labrador: Bay Roberts, Clarenville, Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor, St. John's

Nova Scotia: Halifax

About Kids Help Phone

Since 1989, Kids Help Phone has been Canada's leading online and phone counselling service for youth. It's free, it's anonymous and confidential, and it's available any time of the day or night, 365 days a year in English and in French. Professional counsellors support the mental health and well-being of young people, ages five to 20, by providing one-on-one counselling, information and resources. As a community-based national charity, Kids Help Phone receives no core government funding and relies on community and corporate support to fund its essential and vital service.

To learn more about Kids Help Phone, please visit www.kidshelpphone.ca.

You can also follow us at:

www.kidshelpphone.ca/facebook

www.kidshelpphone.ca/twitter

www.kidshelpphone.ca/youtube

About BMO

As a Founding Sponsor, BMO Financial Group has expressed unwavering commitment to Kids Help Phone since its inception in 1989. BMO is proud to be the title sponsor of the BMO Boolathon in support of Kids Help Phone, a fun and highly successful fundraising event created by a group of BMO employees in 1991. In 2011, the event took place in more than 50 sites across the country, raising $1.1 million to help fund essential phone and online counselling services for children throughout Canada. BMO also supports a number of local Kids Help Phone events.