For Immediate Release: August 2, 2006

RON DUHAMEL SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE

GIVES STUDENTS IN NEED THE TOOLS TO SUCCEED

Winnipeg – The family of the late Senator Ron Duhamel is calling on all Winnipeggers to give generously to the 16^th Annual Ron Duhamel School Supplies Drive, which runs from August 3 to September 3. The launch will be held at Office Depot, 1845 Pembina Highway at 10:30 a.m. on August 3. Collected school supplies will be sorted and boxed at Winnipeg Harvest for delivery to schools throughout Winnipeg on September 5, just in time for the new school year. Last year, Winnipeg schools requested over 34,000 items from the School Supplies Drive, which helped over 4,000 students in many areas of the city.

“As of today, we have received requests from close to 90 schools, an increase of 35% over five years,” said family spokesperson Natalie Duhamel. “Through the 15 years of the School Supplies Drive, we received tremendous public support in the form of thousands of pens and pencils, scissors and glue sticks, loose-leaf sheets, notebooks, binders and other essentials of school life. Every donation ensures that a child somewhere in Winnipeg will have the basic supplies they need to begin the school year.”

For low-income families, preparing youngsters to return to school in the fall is a budgeting nightmare. Many can barely afford new school clothes, let alone a long list of required classroom supplies. A Leger Marketing poll found that for the 2004-2005 school year, Canadian families with school-aged children planned to spend an average of $439 on school supplies and $680 on clothes. For Manitoba, the figure was even higher: $524 on school supplies and $740 on clothes, for a total of $1264.

The Ron Duhamel School Supplies Drive is the largest and most successful of its kind in Winnipeg. “We are very fortunate to have great support from the corporate community. Some of our partners have been there from the beginning, while others have joined us more recently”, added Natalie Duhamel. “With their help and the generosity of Winnipeg residents, we can continue to provide assistance to students in need throughout Winnipeg.”

For more information on making donations to the Ron Duhamel School Supplies Drive, the public is invited to visit www.duhamelschoolsuppliesdrive.ca or to call 256-3320.

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Media enquiries may be directed to Natalie Duhamel, at 292-7262 or duhamel@mts.net.

Backgrounder

2006 Ron Duhamel School Supplies Drive

Drop-Off Locations

Le 100 Nons

·        124 – 340 Provencher Boulevard

A La Rose Academy Florist

·        17 Marion Street

Anita Neville Constituency Office

·        D – 729 Corydon Avenue

     Caisse Saint-Boniface ― four branches

·        185 Provencher Boulevard

·           36 Lakewood Boulevard

·           159 Marion Street

·           1 – 875 Dakota Street

Canadian Tire (Southdale)

·           157 Vermillion Road

CKSB Radio-Canada

·           607 Langevin Street

Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM)

·           200 – 614 Des Meurons Street

Integrated Messaging Inc.

·           550 Berry Street

Dr. Jon Gerrard

·        Room 169 – 450 Broadway

Manitoba Museum

·           190 Rupert Street

Molgat Place

·           635 Broadway

Office Depot

·        1845 Pembina Highway

          1596 Ness Avenue

Pluri-elles (Manitoba), Inc.

·        570 Des Meurons Street          

Raymond Simard Constituency Office

·        Unit 4 – 213 St. Mary’s Road

Veterans Affairs Canada

·          610 – 234 Donald Street        

Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club

·         1 Portage Avenue East

Winnipeg Harvest Inc.    (cash donations also accepted)

·           1085 Winnipeg Avenue

Winnipeg Public Library ― 20 branches

·           Charleswood – 5014 Roblin Boulevard

·           Cornish – 20 Westgate

·           Fort Garry – 1360 Pembina Highway

·           Henderson – 1-1050 Henderson Highway

·           Louis Riel – 1168 Dakota Street

·           Millennium – 251 Donald Street

·           Munroe – 489 London Street

·           Osborne – 625 Osborne Street

·           Pembina Trail – 2724 Pembina Highway

·           River Heights – 1520 Corydon Avenue

·           St. Boniface – 100-131 Provencher Boulevard

·           St. James-Assiniboia – 1910 Portage Avenue

·           St. John’s – 500 Salter Street

·           St. Vital – 6 Fermor Avenue

·           Sir William Stephenson – 765 Keewatin Street

·           Transcona – 111 Victoria Avenue West

·           West End – 823 Ellice Avenue

·           West Kildonan – 365 Jefferson Avenue

·           Westwood – 66 Allard Avenue

·           Windsor Park – 955 Cottonwood Road

Winnipeg Square

·         Concourse – 360 Main Street

2006 Ron Duhamel School Supplies Drive

Partners

• Le 100 Nons, inc.
• A La Rose Academy Florist
• AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions
• Caisse Saint-Boniface
• Canadian Tire (Southdale)
• CF Graphic Design and Illustration
• CKSB 1050 AM (Radio-Canada)
• Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM)
• Office of Dr. Jon Gerrard
• Integrated Messaging Inc.
• Korean Veterans Association of Canada, Inc. – Manitoba Unit No.17
• Manitoba Museum
• Molgat Place, Liberal Party of Canada (Manitoba) Headquarters
• MidWest Packaging
• Anita Neville Constituency Office
• Office Depot
• Pluri-elles (Manitoba), inc.
• Raymond Simard Constituency Office
• Smurfit-MBI
• Veterans Affairs Canada
• Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club
• Winnipeg Harvest
• Winnipeg Public Library
• Winnipeg Square