OTTAWA, May 25 /CNW Telbec/ – The 24th annual World Partnership Walk brought together tens of thousands of Canadians in seven cities across the country, Sunday, to fight poverty in the developing world. In Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Kitchener and Montreal, walkers came out in record numbers and are estimated to have raised more than ever. Tallies will be announced after the Walk takes place in Ottawa and London on Sunday, June 1st.
An initiative of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), the Walk’s continuing success is a tangible sign of the commitment of individual Canadians to the alleviation of global poverty. All of the funds raised by participants (100%) go directly to international development programs, including health, education, rural development, and support for community-based organizations in Asia and Africa. Contributions to the Walk also help AKFC leverage additional support from major donors like the Canadian International Development Agency.
By participating in the Walk, Canadians are taking strides to fight global poverty, said Mr. Khalil Z. Shariff, CEO of AKFC. “Canadians have a tradition of caring about the world, which finds expression in the World
Partnership Walk,” he said. “The programs made possible by this event and its tens of thousands of supporters, both individual and corporate, are helping to enhance the lives and livelihoods of communities in some of the poorest and most isolated regions of the world.” Since 1985, the Walk has raised more than
$40 million to help alleviate poverty.
Notable guests attending this year’s Walk included provincial Ministers Stan Hagen, Michael de Jong, from British Columbia; George Smitherman and Kathleen Wynne from Ontario; Mayors Sam Sullivan and Carl Zehr, from Vancouver and Kitchener, respectively. Distinguished leaders from business and academia included Yvan Allaire, Chairman of the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations; David Anderson, President of the World Fisheries Trust; Mike Keenan, Coach of the Calgary Flames and Sandra McCallum, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria.
This year, some 900 corporate sponsors were involved, including: Premium sponsor, the Nisku Inn; Premier sponsor, Industrial Promotions Services Ltd. (IPS); Platinum sponsors, Scotiabank and KFC Pirani Group, and Gold sponsors: RBC Foundation, Samco Printers Ltd., Pharmassist/IDA, Dynasty Furniture, Dynamic Furniture, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Destination Auto Group, Country Hills Toyota, Mayfield Toyota, Midtown Honda, T&T Honda, High River Toyota and Okotoks Honda, and BC 150. Our National Media Partners were The Globe and Mail and Asian Television Network.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada has been creating lasting and effective solutions to the challenges of global poverty for more than 25 years. As an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKFC benefits from a unique global vantage point from which it undertakes a wide-ranging agenda of humanitarian work.
Join us next year! Sunday, May 31st, 2009 (Sunday, June 7th in Ottawa & London) http://www.worldpartnershipwalk.com
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/25/c4022.html
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