Walkers and Runners Set Off from Ottawa City Hall to Grant 10 Wishes for
Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario
The Third Annual Innovapost 'Share the Power of a Wish' Walk/Run Gets Underway at 9:00am, May 8th, 2010, at Ottawa City Hall
OTTAWA, May 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario and Innovapost, a leading provider of IT solutions and services, are inviting families, walkers and runners to register for the third annual, Innovapost 'Share the Power of a Wish' Walk/Run. The event promises a day of fun for families, recreational and competitive runners. Proceeds will go to granting wishes to create hope and happiness for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Participants can choose to walk or run a 1km, 5km or 10km route along Ottawa's Queen Elizabeth Drive. Ottawa City Hall will be the site of activities for children and families, including a children's activity village, picnic lunch and musical guests: The RCMP Pipes & Drums of the National Capital Region (NCR); The Chixie Dicks; and Lovecircus.
"As a Member of Parliament, I strongly believe it is important to give back to the communities we work and live in," said Dr. Kirsty Duncan, Member of Parliament for the riding of Etobicoke North, and this year's Event Steward. "Many of us are guests in this great city. Here is an excellent opportunity for us to make a difference in the life of a local child facing a life-threatening medical condition."
"We have set some ambitious goals for ourselves this year," said Mike Wlotzki, Executive Director of Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario. "Our goal is to have 1000 walkers and runners join us on May 8 at City Hall. Together with our sponsors, we want to grant the heart-felt wishes of ten children. Our Wish Tracker shows that we have already reached nine wishes. With less than a week to go, we are all excited to see how far we can take this."
The Innovapost 'Share the Power of a Wish' Walk Run is the largest fundraising event for Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario. This is the third year that Innovapost has been the corporate organizer and title sponsor. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Make-A-Wish(R) foundation, and 27 years since the first wish was granted in Vancouver, marking the beginning of Make-A-Wish(R) Canada.
"I am very proud of what our Organizing Committee and volunteers have planned for this year," said David Allum, Senior Vice President of Innovapost. "On May 8, all the hard work will pay off with a thousand or more people making children their priority for the day. Magic is going to happen."
The public is encouraged to register before race day by visiting the online registration web page: www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=5123.
Information about the Walk/Run, sponsors, entertainment and frequently asked questions are available on the event website: wishpower.innovapost.com. Event updates are also available through Twitter by following: Twitter/SPW_WalkRun2010.
Wish family and participant interviews can be arranged by Dennis Elliott (613-867-3611).
Innovapost organizer and runner interviews can be arranged by Erin Sarsfield (613-294-5174).
Interviews with the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, 'Share the Power of a Wish' Event Steward, can be arranged by contacting her Ottawa Office (613-995-4702).
About Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario
Make-A-Wish(R) Canada is part of the largest not-for-profit wish granting organization in the world, serving 30 countries with international affiliates on five continents. Since inception in 1980, Make-A-Wish(R) has helped make over 200,000 wishes come true for children around the world.
Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario got started with a little girl's wish for a trip to Walt Disney World(R) Resort in 1997. Maureen MacArthur organized a group of volunteers to form a board and the new chapter was officially incorporated and granted charitable status on 1 January 1999.
Our chapter includes a staff of three and covers a territory that includes Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Ottawa and everything in between. Our area includes the counties of Addington; Carleton; Dundas; Frontenac; Glengarry; Grenville; Hastings; Lanark; Leeds; Lennox; Prescott; Renfrew; Russell; and Stormont. For more information visit Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario's website at http://www.makeawish.ca/frontend/245.
About Innovapost
Innovapost is a leading provider of IT solutions and services, with a specialization in SAP, e-business and mobility solution development. Our services include business and technical consulting, application development, application management, infrastructure service management and change & human performance consulting. Innovapost was founded in 2002 and has offices in Ottawa, Mississauga and Toronto.
Since 2002 Innovapost has raised over $1.7 million for various charities throughout Ottawa, Mississauga and Toronto where our 800 employees live and work.
For more information, visit our website at www.innovapost.com.
For further information: For further information: Dennis Elliott, Make-A-Wish(R) Eastern Ontario, Manager, Communications, (613) 867-3611, [email protected]; Erin Sarsfield, Innovapost, Race Director, (613) 294-5174, [email protected]; The Ottawa Office of Dr. Kirsty Duncan, MP for the riding of Etobicoke North, (613) 995-4702, [email protected]
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