Canada speaks up for positive change - Announcing the 2012 Aviva Community Fund Finalists

Judges to Select Winners from Top 30 Ideas

TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - After casting more than 2.8 million votes, Canadians have chosen the top thirty finalist ideas for this year's Aviva Community Fund competition. Created by home and auto insurer Aviva Canada and now in its fourth year, the Aviva Community Fund provides $1,000,000 in donations to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country.

The 30 finalist ideas are now in the hands of a panel of impartial judges including Etalk Anchor Tanya Kim, David Suzuki Foundation CEO Peter Robinson, Author and Journalist Bruce Sellery, Volunteer Canada President & CEO Ruth MacKenzie and Salut Bonjour Host Ève-Marie Lortie. The judges will review the ideas to decide which projects will receive funding. For a full list of judges, visit AvivaCommunityFund.org/about/judges. Winners will be announced January 29, 2013 on CTV's Canada AM.

New to the competition this year is $5,000 in funding for all finalists (or an associated registered charity) that are not selected for full funding by the judges. Also new to the competition, and within the $1 million in funding, is a specific prize of up to $150,000 for Canadian community groups or charities that support homeless and at-risk youth programs, part of Aviva's global street to school initiative.

"We recognize the hard work it takes to make the finals of the Aviva Community Fund. These groups have worked tirelessly to promote their ideas and reach out to their communities." said Gerry De Lauro, Vice President of Marketing and Web Strategy at Aviva Canada.  "That's why this year all finalists will receive at least $5,000 towards either their project or a registered charity doing similar work in their community."

While voting is over, supporters can still contribute monetarily to their favourite Aviva Community Fund causes. Starting today, ideas with associated charities will have their "vote now" button replaced with a "donate now" button. These ideas are encouraged to leverage AvivaCommunityFund.org to collect donations from supporters.

The Aviva Community Fund 2012 finalists from across Canada are listed below:

National

• The Drawing Hope Project

British Columbia

• Exoskeleton for Trevor Greene Canadian Veteran (Nanaimo)
• Gladstone Secondary Greenhouse for Science and Foods Programs (Vancouver)

Northwest Territories

• The Children First Playground: Where Arctic Kids Can Dream (Inuvik)

Alberta

• Vera M. Welsh and the community of Lac La Biche need a new play (Lac La Biche)
• Rescue for Life - Spay/Neuter Initiatives (Spruce Grove)

Saskatchewan

• Chase Kraynick "Pay It Forward" Splash Park (Canora)

Ontario

• Riehl skate park (Fonthill)
• Silver Lake Camp "A small camp with a big impact" (Kinloss)
• E.T. Crowle P.S. READy Set Read Library Revitalization Project (Markham)
• 40 hours and beyond (Markham/ Scarborough)
• Stay Strong Nick Roma (Niagara Falls)
• Georgian Bay Turtle Hospital (Orillia)
• Kaiden's Care Kits (Russell)
• Fill the Pool!  A community comes together to re-open their pool (Smiths Falls)
• Promoting Human/Bear Coexistence through Education and Action (Sprucedale)
• Harder-4-Carter: The Carter Antila Memorial SkatePark (Temiskaming Shores)
• Excellence for Us! (Toronto)

Quebec

• Une vraie cour d'école pour ados! (Bois-des-Filion)
• Nouveau gymnase pour notre club de gymnastique les Hirondelles (Granby)
• Help Build the Animal Rescue Network's Purrfect Shelter (Montreal)
• REACH OUT TO STREET YOUTH!! REJOIGNEZ LES JEUNES DE LA RUE!!! (Montreal)
• La robotique contre le décrochage scolaire (Rimouski)

New Brunswick

• Never Enough Room.....Help Us Help Even More (Moncton)
• The Compassion Project (Quispamsis)

Nova Scotia

• A Shelter for H.A.R.T. (Aylesford)
• Undercurrent Youth Centre (Glace Bay)
• Fighting for Healthy Affordable Food in North End Halifax (Halifax)
• Hope for Wildlife- Marine Wildlife Rescue Centre (Seaforth)

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Happy Valley Goose Bay SPCA (Happy Valley Goose Bay)

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada providing home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance to more than three million customers. The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc and has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada and its employees invest in positive change including through the Aviva Community Fund and Eva's Initiatives, its partner in Aviva's global Street to School program to help homeless and other at-risk youth reach their potential.

For more information visit AvivaCanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE: Aviva Canada Inc.

For further information:

Media Contact: 
Glenn Cooper
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Social Media
Aviva Canada Inc.
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