Top Aviva Community Fund Ideas Move To Semi-Finals

Aviva Canada is one step closer to awarding $500,000 to improve and strengthen Canadian communities.

December 2, 2009 (Toronto, ON) – Today Aviva Canada Inc. announced the semi-finalists for the first ever Aviva Community Fund – a unique competition that seeks to lead, empower and support positive change in Canadian communities.

Over the past six weeks, more than 1,800 ideas designed to improve our communities have been submitted from across the country. With round three now complete, the top 62 submissions move into the semi-final round and continue to vie for Canada’s votes in hopes of making it to the finals.  Canadians are encouraged to visit www.avivacommunityfund.org and vote for their favourite semi-finalist ideas until December 16, 2009.

The 25 most popular entries will become finalists and move onto the judging phase of the competition. The Aviva Community Fund judges will evaluate and discuss the submissions to determine which ones will be funded. Aviva Community Fund winners will be announced on January 25, 2010 via press release.

The semi-finalists are listed below by province:

Aviva Canada is one step closer to awarding $500,000 to improve and strengthen Canadian communities

December 2, 2009 (Toronto, ON) – Today Aviva Canada Inc. announced the semi-finalists for the first ever Aviva Community Fund – a unique competition that seeks to lead, empower and support positive change in Canadian communities.

Over the past six weeks, more than 1,800 ideas designed to improve our communities have been submitted from across the country. With round three now complete, the top 62 submissions move into the semi-final round and continue to vie for Canada’s votes in hopes of making it to the finals.  Canadians are encouraged to visit www.avivacommunityfund.org and vote for their favourite semi-finalist ideas until December 16, 2009.

The 25 most popular entries will become finalists and move onto the judging phase of the competition. The Aviva Community Fund judges will evaluate and discuss the submissions to determine which ones will be funded. Aviva Community Fund winners will be announced on January 25, 2010 via press release.

The semi-finalists are listed below by province:

National

• End the #1 killer of Canadian youth, SMARTRISK No Regrets
• More Effective Community Work, Millennium Network
• Volunteer for Change!, Craig Kielburger, Free The Children
• No One Left Behind – Personne Laissé de Côté, John Rietveld, Canada Foundation

British Columbia

• Confronting Stigma Towards Youth Mental Health, Kim Moore, Blue Wave
• Community Kitchen, Kyle Burgess, Quest Food Exchange
• Make Our Dream a Reality, South Slope/BCSD PAC Executive
• New multimedia labs for Surrey BC Schools, Liane Ricou, Surrey School District
• Let The Band Play On!!!, Audrey Luk, David Thompson Secondary School
• Gabriola Island Emergency Care Facility, Judith Graham, Gabriola Health Care Society

Alberta

• A Playground Makeover, Marilyn Boake, Ecole Joe Clark School
• Out of the Ashes … Mayerthorpe Exhibition Centre, Mayerthorpe Exhibition Centre Replacement Project, Town of Mayerthorpe

Saskatchewan

• Dancing To Make A Difference, Refined/Undignified
• Joe’s Place-Hungry For Hope, Joe Dueck, Joe’s Place Youth Centre
• Helping Medically Fragile Children & Families Enjoy Better Lives, Jacque Tisher, Hope’s Home
• Arts/Fashion/Music Centre, Marian Donnelly, Inner Circle Creative City Development Corp.

Manitoba

· UNESCO Living Lab, CPET UNESCO Committee, Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau

· The Super-Interactive School, Lynn Fajardo, École Van Belleghem

Ontario

• Youth Media Vision, Dr. Springett, Rivers Living Water Centre
• DreamLoveCure, Robert Dyer, Skate4Cancer
• Children’s Safety Village, Marilyn Rosner, Saugeen Valley Children’s Safety Village – Founding Committee
• Prison Yard Playground, Elizabeth Barnett, King George School
• D.A.N.I. Life-style group for young adults who have special needs, Kathy Laszlo, D.A.N.I.
• Accessible Transportation, Ahuva Goldberg
• Je veux m’amuser! I want to have fun!, Josée Corrigan, Académie de la Tamise
• HaH Basecamp, Jenna Kellner, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR)
• Inner-City Soccer League, Alex Ozer, S.I.S.O.
• Breakfast Reloaded: Beyond Just a Meal, The Living Rock
• The About Face Collective Solar-Powered Laundromat/Art Gallery, The About Face Collective Solar-Powered Laundromat/Art Gallery and Community Space
• Youth. Passion. Showcase. of the Performing Arts, Diana Li
• Music Care Conference, Bev Foster, Room 217 Foundation
• Tattered Tiaras, Kimberlee Moran
• Time for a Paradigm Shift: New Energy Solutions We Can All Adopt, Marc Dubeau, Osgoode Township High School
• Pregnant Teen Shelter in Durham Region, Marion Cozens
• Waterfront Linear Park, Linda St.Cyr, South Temiskaming Active Travel
• Couchiching Jubilee House – More than a Roof, Couchiching Jubilee House
• Creating a Circle of Hope, Meagan’s Hug, Down MacDonald
• Un Hameau De Vie Pour Les Jeunes, Éric Lafontaine, Hameau l’Oasis de Dunham
• The Children’s Storefront Helps Children and Families, Krista Ellis, The Children’s Storefront
• Hopeful Documentary / Documentaire D’espoir, Reach Lesotho, Student Reach International
• SOS: Sink or Swim, Heidi Wilson, Let’s Make Waves
• Charity CHAMPS – Spread The Spirit of Giving!, Kevin Wong, Charity CHAMPS
• Portable Children’s Safety Village, Christopher Dewsbury, Ontario Provincial Police
• Sault Youth Centre, Martin Wyant, Sault Family YMCA

Quebec

• Speakyourself.ca, Summit School
• Une résidence scolaire pour des gars extraordinaires, Nathalie Marceau, Collège du Mont-Sainte-Anne
• Ma cour, mon École en image, Nancy Sirois, École de l’Amitié
• Une place pour moi dans la communauté!, Maria Normandin, Joëlle Ducharme, Kim Godin, Céline Frenette, Manon Doré, Jacinthe Desmarais, École Marie-Rose, Beloeil
• Bibliothèque Municipale Scolaire, Sophie Michaud, Conseil d’Établissement École Centrale St-Samuel, Qc
• Quilleton au profit Yannick Camiré atteint du syndrome de Down, Achat d’un véhicule adapté, Les Amis du Père Noël
• Association des Brésiliens, Julio César Ribeiro
• The 2nd Act Program, Trudi Yorgan, Second Act
• Centre de ressources horizon (aide pour endeuillés), Karine Leclerc et Lyne Charbonneau
• Prélude à la Traversée du Canada, Michel Gouin, Ultramarathon Michel Gouin
• Jamboree 2011 en Suède, Kaa, 218e Groupe Scout Radisson
• Stage International and Intercultural, Nursing around the world (SIAM 2010), Université Laval
• Noël Vert Pour Tous, Stephane Racine, Consortium Evolution
• Théâtre Mul
  timédia Pour Les Ecoles Défavorisées De La CSPI, Jonathan Pronovost, Les Productions Qu’en dit Raton?
• Redonner Une Voix Aux Enfances Muettes, Sarah Deschêne

New Brunswick

• Cachet D’antan, Sauvegarde D’un Monument Historique

Nova Scotia

• The Thirsty Church, Amanda Langille

Prince Edward Island

• Building a Lodge for Camp Triumph, Megan Brown, Camp Triumph

About Aviva Canada

Aviva Canada Inc. is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada, providing home, automobile and business insurance to more than three million customers. Our group of companies has more than 3,300 employees, 40 locations and more than 3,000 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada products and services are delivered across the country under the following brands: Aviva, Aviva Pilot, Aviva Traders, Aviva Elite, Aviva Scottish & York and through S&Y Insurance Company. Aviva Canada Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the world’s fifth largest insurance group, and was recently recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having one of Canada’s ten most admired corporate cultures. Please visit us at avivacanada.com, changeinsurance.ca or avivacommunityfund.org.

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Media Contact:

Alison Ford
Fleishman-Hillard, Consultant
Desk: (416) 645-3296
alison.ford@fleishman.ca