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Oilers Ales Hemsky and Marty Reasoner Suit Up to Support Edmonton’s 2008 Raising the Roof Toque Campaign
[January 09, 2008]

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A community partnership involving the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund, the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, along with media partners 630 CHED and Global Edmonton will help to launch this year’s Raising the Roof Toque Campaign in Edmonton.

Edmonton Oilers players Ales Hemsky and Marty Reasoner are Edmonton’s celebrity spokespersons for the 2008 campaign. In addition, the Oilers will kick off the campaign by selling toques to hockey fans at Rexall Place during the Battle of Alberta game on Monday, Feb. 4, 2008. Toques will be sold at all five entrances to Rexall Place before the game and between periods with a goal of selling 2,500 toques to support the campaign.

Both 630 CHED and Global Edmonton have agreed to produce and air a 30 second promotional spot to help promote the sale of toques until the end of the Edmonton campaign, which concludes March 31, 2008.

Raising the Roof is Canada’s only national charity solely dedicated to long-term solutions to ending homelessness. Last year, over $500,000 was raised nationwide to support solutions which break the cycle of homelessness in Canada. Eighty per cent of the net proceeds from the local sale of the toques in Edmonton will go the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund. This year the Trust Fund has dedicated a portion of the funds to the Family Shelter Network, an organization which partners with the Bissell Centre to help homeless families secure safe, affordable housing in the city. Twenty per cent of the net funds will support Raising the Roof’s Youthworks initiative, a national program aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness among Canada’s young people. Youthworks, launched in January 2006, works directly with Canada’s fastest growing, yet most resilient group at risk – youth between the ages of 16-25.

“This year we have a number of events scheduled to help promote the sale of toques. With our community partnership formed with 630 CHED, Global Edmonton and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation we are quite confident we can easily surpass last year’s sales figure,” said Susan McGee, Executive Director of the Trust Fund and Joint Planning. In the three years that the Trust Fund has spearheaded sales of the toques in Edmonton, over $30,000 has been raised to promote long-term solutions to solve homelessness in the city.

“Marty and I are excited to be part of Edmonton’s Raising the Roof Toque Campaign,” said Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers. “With the support of Oilers’ fans throughout Oil Country, I know we can make an impact to help break the cycle of homelessness in our city.”

The 2008 toques are all Canadian-made and come in khaki green or black and are available for sale at a minimum donation of $10 each. Toques can be purchased from the Trust Fund and Joint Planning offices at #901, 10025 – 106 Street, at participating Home Depot stores in Edmonton and will be available for sale at the Kingsway Garden Mall on Jan. 12, 2008 and the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market on Jan. 26, 2008.

‘Toque Tuesday’, Raising the Roof’s national public awareness day, will be held this year on Feb. 5, 2008. Sale of the toques will take place at various locations throughout the city on that day, including this year’s ROOPH Awards Luncheon sponsored by the Trust Fund and Joint Planning, scheduled for Feb. 5, 2008.

Raising the Roof’s national partners include; Direct Energy; Global Television; The Home Depot Canada; ecentricarts, the Bargains Group and Canadian Traffic Network.

For further information and to arrange media interviews contact:
Jim Molnar, Communications
Edmonton Housing Trust Fund / Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing
(780) 944-5697 Cell: (780) 405-0735

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