“The day was inspirational,” says Wylma Pilling, Community Relations and Event Coordinator. “Fifth year participant Elaine Bleie surpassed an ultimate personal fund raising goal, Heather Kuttai, who uses a wheelchair, rappelled for the first time, and outstanding support from everyone involved has made this an event we are proud of.”

For the fourth consecutive year, Elaine Bleie of Saskatoon is the top fund raiser with nearly $11,000 raised. “Elaine is a superhero for Camp Easter Seal and other Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan programs. To date, she has raised nearly $35,000 almost entirely through individual donations,” says Pilling.

In second place was Carol Cisecki of Saskatoon with a total of $2,957 and rounding out the top three was Carrie-Ann Hagel from Allan who raised $2,562.

Funds raised from Drop Zone support Camp Easter Seal, a completely wheelchair accessible camp facility and other Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan programs. Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan provides recreational opportunities and adaptive technology services for children with disabilities in our province. Easter Seals™ programs are offered and operated by the Saskatchewan Abilities Council.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wylma Pilling, Community Relations and Events Coordinator
Tel: (306) 374-4448 ext 246
Cell: (306) 380-1730
wpilling@abilitiescouncil.sk.ca
www.abilitiescouncil.sk.ca

September 1, 2010. Leader-Post: Leader-Post reporter Kerry Benjoe’s ‘incredible experience’

September 1, 2010. Calgary Herald: Tower climbing for seals

August 21, 2010. The Link: Surrey Wheel-Chair Bound MLA To Drop For Charity

August 20, 2010. Toronto Sun: Couple takes the 17-storey plunge

August 20, 2010. CTV Winnipeg: Participants rappel 17-storey building in fundraiser for people with disabilities

August 19, 2010. Global Winnipeg: Fearless fundraising in downtown

August 12, 2010. Peace Arch News: Things are looking up for MLA Stephanie Cadieux

August 10, 2010. PR-Canada.net: Short Screenplay Festival Founder Cormican Jumps for Easter Seals Charity

August 31, 2010:  Saskatoon – Two Superhero Rappellers Mark Milestones at Easter Seals Drop Zone

August 31, 2010: Victoria - Marty The Marmot To Participate in the Easter Seals Drop Zone in Victoria

August 31, 2010: Calgary – Superheroes to Descend in Downtown Calgary!

August 27, 2010: Saskatoon – LOOK UP in the SKY! Saskatoon Easter Seals DROP ZONE – September 2nd

August 25, 2010: Ottawa – Easter Seals Drop Zone coming to the Delta Hotel & Suites in Ottawa

August 25, 2010: Winnipeg – Easter Seals Drop Zone Superheroes Raise Over $137,000 In Support Of Manitobans With Disabilities!

“At this time, Elaine has raised over $10,500,” says Wylma Pilling, Community Relations and Event Coordinator. “Elaine is a superhero for Camp Easter Seal and other Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan programs. To date, she has raised nearly $35,000 almost entirely through individual donations.”

For the first time at the Drop Zone event in Saskatoon, an individual who uses a wheelchair will rappel down the side of Carlton Tower. Superhero Heather Kuttai says she is thrilled to participate in the Drop Zone. “Camp Easter Seal has a special place in my heart. As a child I went to camp and it was a wonderful experience. Now it’s my turn to give back.”

Thursday, September 2, 2010 – Rappel Schedule

• Elaine Bleie is scheduled to rappel at 11:00 am.
• Heather Kuttai is scheduled to rappel at 11:20 am.

Over 45 Superhero Rappellers are ready to go down the side of Carlton Tower. The Drop Zone is an annual fund raising event for Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan programs. The focus of these programs is to foster independence, self-confidence and create access to recreational opportunities for children with disabilities.

Easter Seals™ Saskatchewan serves the interests of children with disabilities in our province. Easter Seals programs are offered and operated by the Saskatchewan Abilities Council.

For more information contact:
Wylma Pilling
Community Relations & Events Coordinator
Saskatchewan Abilities Council
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Phone: 306-374-4448
Email: wpilling@abilitiescouncil.sk.ca

Marty will become the first Victoria-based sports mascot to rappel down the side of the downtown CIBC building, as he helps fundraise for Easter Seals; a national charity that is dedicated to serving Canadians with disabilities and their families. Marty has set a goal of raising $2,000 for Easter Seals, and has already brought in over $800 for the cause!

The Easter Seals Drop Zone is in its sixth year in Canada, and fifth in Victoria. Last year, Victoria raised over $93,000 for the cause. Since the Drop Zone’s inception in 2005, over 2,300 people have participated with nearly $4 million raised, while 100% of all donations in British Columbia stay within the province

To make a donation on Marty’s behalf, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/marty.themarmot.

Up to one hundred participants will rappel between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM dressed as their favorite Superhero. Friends, family, work colleagues and interested spectators are welcome to take in the excitement of the rappels from the safety of the ground at the corner of 1st Street and 4th Avenue S.W.

“It’s Calgary’s turn to take the challenge and highlight its adventurous spirit and commitment to helping those in need”, said Susan Law, CEO of Easter Seals Alberta. “Our participants are definitely going out of their comfort zones to courageously perform this daunting challenge all for a great cause.”

All participants will undergo specialized training in the weeks preceding the event and each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $1,500 in pledges to support Easter Seals. Funds raised during the event will support children and adults with disabilities and special needs in Alberta through equipment, recreational and residential programs in Alberta.

Presented by the Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (CREIT), the National Founding Sponsor, the Easter Seals Drop Zone is one of the most talked about and memorable fundraisers in cities across Canada.

“We are so excited to be part of one of the most daring and exciting fundraisers across Canada,” said J.W. (Bill) Bird, Vice President – Alberta CREIT. Other local sponsors include The Crux Climbing and Bouldering, Evolution Presentation Technologies, OPUS Corp., Canada Safeway and the Delta Bow Valley.

For more information on this exciting event, please visit: www.thedropzone.ca.

Event Details:

Media & spectators are welcome.

Who: The Easter Seals Drop Zone

What: A fundraising event with 100 participants rappelling down the Sun Life Tower in
downtown Calgary

When: September 9th, starting at 7:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the day

Where: The West tower of Sun Life Plaza, 144 – 4th Avenue S.W.

Why: To provide Albertans with disabilities and special needs with equipment and services.

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Rösch – Marketing & Public Relations
Easter Seals Alberta
Ph. 403-235-5662 ext. 215 Fax: 403-248-1716
E-mail: stephanie@easterseals.ab.ca

Over 45 individuals will transform into Superheroes and embrace the challenge to rappel down the side of Carlton Tower. Elaine Bleie, 5th year participant and top fundraiser for the past three years, comments on her reason for going over the edge, “It’s a great personal accomplishment. I feel so blessed to be able to support Easter Seals in this way. Even though I had to overcome some great personal obstacles to rappel in The Drop Zone in the past, I’m always doing it for the kids. I always keep that in mind, It’s for the kids!”

Wylma Pilling, Drop Zone Planner, says “The Easter Seals Drop Zone is a great opportunity for individuals to become their favorite Superhero and to get out of their comfort zone by doing the “drop” for Easter Seals kids!” Pilling extends an invitation to Saskatoon residents to drop by and cheer on the superheroes. “You will be inspired by everyone’s courage and commitment” she adds.

Greg Donaldson, 2010 Saskatoon Easter Seals Ambassador says, “The Easter Seals Drop Zone helps make summer fun for me and my friends at Camp Easter Seal. My favourite activities at camp are rustic camping, horseback riding and the final banquet and dance.”

The Drop Zone is an annual fund raising event for Easter Seals Saskatchewan programs. The focus of these programs is to foster independence, self-confidence and create access to recreational opportunities for children with disabilities.

• Camp Easter Seal is the only completely wheelchair accessible camp facility in Saskatchewan and provides a true camping experience for kids with disabilities. It is located at Manitou Lake near Watrous.
• Summer Fun is a specialized day camp program that provides recreational activities within the community for children, youth, and young adults with disabilities.
• Adaptive Technology Services is a program that provides training, support, and specialized equipment for communication.

Easter Seals Saskatchewan serves the interests of children with disabilities in our province. Easter Seals programs are offered and operated by the Saskatchewan Abilities Council.

For more information contact:

Wylma Pilling
Community Relations & Events Coordinator
Saskatchewan Abilities Council
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Phone: 306-374-4448
Email: wpilling@abilitiescouncil.sk.ca

The Delta Hotel & Suites, located at 361 Queen Street, will be the site of a Superhero adventure as regular, everyday people step over the edge of an 18-storey building and rappel to safety to help support Ontario’s children and youth with physical disabilities.

Brave participants have made up their minds, raised a minimum of $1 500 in donations, trained, and are ready to challenge themselves alongside highly trained experts who will guide them through the entire process.

One first time rappeller, Josh Glover, speaks passionately about taking this challenge to help Ontario’s kids with physical disabilities.

“We’re so lucky. We can do whatever we want with our lives. This is a way of giving something back to the kids and families that support them.”

Easter Seals Drop Zone Ottawa presented by Morguard Investments is one of twelve cities to host a Drop Zone event in 2010. Nationally, over 2 300 brave rappellers have taken part in Easter Seals Drop Zone events from coast to coast, raising over $3.76 million for individuals with physical disabilities since the event’s inception in 2005.

Proceeds from the Easter Seals Drop Zone Ottawa event will help Easter Seals Ontario assist families of kids with physical disabilities with the purchase of costly mobility equipment and communication devices. By providing financial assistance, Easter Seals performs an essential service to families who might not otherwise have the resources to obtain this equipment. Easter Seals also owns and operates two fully accessible camp properties and is recognized as an industry leader in providing specialized recreation programs for kids with physical disabilities at Easter Seals camps.

Sponsors of Easter Seals Drop Zone Ottawa include: local host and presenting sponsor, Morguard Investments, Delta Hotel & Suites, Coyote Rock Climbing Gym, as well as national founding sponsor, CREIT Management L.P., national supporting sponsor, Amway Global, and national supplier, Remote Access Technology International.

For media inquires, contact:

Krystal Wallace
Development Manager, Ontario East
Easter Seals Ontario
613.226.3051 ext. 222
kwallace@easterseals.org

All rappellers had to generate a minimum of $1,500 in pledges to participate in this adventure of a lifetime while challenging their daily comfort zone for a great cause!

Over $137,000 was raised for this year’s Drop Zone in Manitoba, which was a 28% increase from last year’s totals! All proceeds raised stay here in Manitoba to support SMD’s programs and services that reach over 40,000 children, youth and adults with disabilities per year.

This year’s Drop Zone hosted the wedding ceremony for first-time rappellers, Claude Labossiere and Miranda Dorno who conquered the 200-foot drop after reciting their vows. Family and friends contributed pledges, rather than gifts to help the couple reach their fundraising goals.

Also, after touching down from her rappel, Sandi Caputo received an unexpected wedding proposal from her boyfriend, Kevin Edwards, who proposed in front of a crowd of supporters.

The day was filled with fun, excitement and proved that Drop Zone is truly an event for people of all abilities. Shane St. Pierre, Carey Hacault and John Wyndels all took the challenge by rappelling down in their wheelchairs, while David McIntyre, a member of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, was the first legally blind participant to rappel down the RBC building.

Since 2004, more than 2,500 “Superheroes” have joined this exclusive club for Easter Seals™, collecting over $3 million dollars across Canada.

You could say that his heart is in it. Paul has benefited from Easter Seals programs and services, including Camp Gencheff and Joyriders, for more than 20 years.

At 41 Paul, who has Down Syndrome, embraces life fully. In addition to his passion for wrestling, music and the movies, Paul loves to show off his latest dance moves, particularly at Camp Gencheff, where he competes with his best friend Travis Judson to be best dancer.

“Paul is extremely well liked and is an exceptional person,” says his sister Cindy Beharrell, who works for Century 21. “He strives for independence in his work and personal life and is committed to not being a burden on anyone. He usually has great success at whatever he does.”

Having worked his entire adult life, including Island Cable TV and Fox Meadow Golf and Country Club, Paul decided to go back to school. In 2009, Paul graduated from the four-year University of PEI Ace program, designed for students with intellectual disabilities.

His hard work at school paid off. Paul received high marks in every course he took, and when he graduated he became one of two graduates ever asked back to mentor other students.

Recently, Cooke Insurance hired Paul to run paperwork to other businesses in Charlottetown, file, handle mail duties and other important tasks. Paul, who loves his new job, fit in immediately at Cooke’s where he works six hours a day. Between that, his part time work at Fox Meadow Golf and Country Club, and his active social life, Paul is a very busy man.

His one sadness is that his father, Simon Compton, passed away just prior to Paul’s graduation from University. After the graduation ceremonies, while he still had his gown on, Paul kissed his award and held it skyward and said: “this is for you Dad.”

Paul’s father would have been tremendously proud of his son’s major accomplishment, as he was proud of everything Paul did. Simon Compton would have been proud too of Paul’s dedication to the Easter Seals Drop Zone and his commitment to rappelling off 10 stories of the Delta Prince Edward on October 8th. To learn more about Paul and support his rappel by making a donation to Easter Seals, visit www.paulcompton.ca.