News Releases

Quebec Region

News Release

Communiqué

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Donnacona, Quebec, September 19, 2006 - Employees of Donnacona Institution, a federal maximum security penitentiary, are once again taking part in a relay race to raise funds for the Children's Wish Foundation. This year, the race will take them to Rivière du Loup. Employees will leave the penitentiary at 7:30 a.m. on September 21 and are scheduled to arrive at the Rivière-du-Loup city hall at 4:00 p.m. the following day. A "Waiter for an Evening" event will take place a few hours later at the Brasserie Lafontaine in Rivière-du-Loup, with proceeds going to the Foundation.

This year's fundraising objective is $25,000, which requires each runner and volunteer to collect at least $200. Regional businesses are solicited and various activities are organized in the course of the year for this purpose.

The relay race first began in 1999 when jogging enthusiasts from Donnacona Institution decided to partner up with a charity, the Children's Wish Foundation, in order to add another dimension to their favourite activity. With invaluable collaboration from institutional authorities and volunteers, approximately 20 runners covered a distance of 240 kilometres in Laurentian Park. The very successful event raised $7,500 and fulfilled a child's dream: a trip to Disney World with the entire family. In ensuing years, other runners and volunteers committed to running comparable distances to Rivière du Loup, Laval, Trois Rivières and throughout the greater county of Portneuf.

To date, approximately $55,000 in donations have been collected and enabled the Foundation to fulfill the dreams of eight children in the Portneuf county or in the greater region of Québec City. All of these children have a life threatening illness.

Those who wish to run or contribute to making a child's dream come true may contact Ms. Sylvie Picard at 418 285 2455 (ext. 2155). "A donation brings us one step closer to making a child happy and helps that child temporarily forget his or her illness," said Institutional Head, Mr. Pierre Laplante.

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For more information, please contact Stéphane Jaillet, Assistant Warden, Management Services, Donnacona Institution, at 418 285 2455, ext. 2110.