TORONTO, April 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Starting today, Torontonians will have access to the city's first musical instrument library - the Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library. Sun Life Financial and the Toronto Public Library have created this innovative free program that will provide residents with the opportunity to borrow a variety of instruments.
Guitars, ukuleles, violins and portable keyboards are among the 100 instruments available - donated by Sun Life Financial to establish the program. Sun Life Financial has also created a special series of short videos to assist individuals with the use, care and enjoyment of the instruments. Whether you're a seasoned musician in need of an instrument or a beginner looking to learn a new skill, the Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library is the perfect program to ignite your musical creativity.
This program is part of a national initiative that will see similar musical lending libraries launched in cities across Canada this spring. The Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library will be housed at Parkdale Branch. All instruments can be borrowed free of charge with a valid Toronto Public Library card.
"We're so pleased that we can connect music lovers and learners to instruments at the library, thanks to Sun Life Financial's generous philanthropic donation," said Vickery Bowles, City Librarian at Toronto Public Library. "We know how much music enriches life, but many Torontonians don't have ready access to musical instruments for financial reasons. Programs such as this one break down those barriers and connect people to wonderful opportunities. I'm looking forward to hearing stories of the music that people will be making thanks to the Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library."
Sun Life Financial believes that arts and culture should be celebrated within our communities and made accessible to individuals and families, regardless of their means - the focus of its award-winning Making the Arts More Accessible™ program. As such, Sun Life Financial has been a partner of the Toronto Public Library since 2007, supporting the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass program.
"This new program is a natural extension of our support of music education, bringing music into the homes of residents across the city of Toronto," said Paul Joliat, Assistant Vice-President, Philanthropy and Sponsorships, Sun Life Financial. "We wish to help bring the joy of music to more peoples' lives."
The library will also be holding a Musical Instrument Donation Drive running month-long until May 7th. Torontonians may drop off their new or gently used musical instrument donations at Parkdale Branch and two participating Long & McQuade locations in Toronto. Please visit tpl.ca/instrumentlending for more information.
The Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library was developed and executed in collaboration with Shaw Saltzberg of NextStage Entertainment Ltd.
About Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is one of the world's busiest urban public library systems. Every year, 19 million people visit library branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow 32 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131. To get the most current updates on what's happening at the library, follow @torontolibrary on Twitter.
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2015, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $891 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.
SOURCE Sun Life Financial Canada
Image with caption: "Juno Award-winning artists Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk help to kick-off the Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160407_C9099_PHOTO_EN_44729.jpg
Media Relations Contacts:
Michelle Leung
Communications Officer
Toronto Public Library
[email protected]
T. 416-397-5936
Gannon Loftus
Manager, Media & PR
Sun Life Financial
[email protected]
T. 647-228-8244
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