Canwest Raise-a-Reader Day Pulls in $2 Million for Literacy Programs

• Press Release
• Source: Canwest Global Communications Corp.
• On 12:30 pm EDT, Friday September 25, 2009

WINNIPEG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--They were up early and out in full force for an important cause – thousands of volunteers in Canadian cities from coast-to-coast raised $2 million for literacy during Canwest’s annual Raise-a-Reader Day on Wednesday.

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One hundred per cent of the money raised stays in the community in which it was donated. The funds are distributed to libraries and local family literacy organizations that help children and adults develop reading skills that can improve their quality of life.

Volunteers across Canada ‘hawked’ special-edition newspapers in exchange for donations. Among the ranks were many celebrity hawkers, including: Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia; Don Atchison, Mayor of Saskatoon; members of the Lethbridge Hurricanes; Sandy Russell, senior director and Richard Dickson from her team with Carlson Hotels; Ivan Court, Mayor of Saint John; P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz; Brian Francis, Chief of Abegweit First Nations Band; Kevin Lowe and Patrick LaForge of the Edmonton Oilers; Prince George Mayor Dan Rogers; Nora McVinnie, the 2009 Canspell Windsor Star Regional Spelling Bee Champion; President and General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Mike Gillis; and a number of Canadian Olympic athletes including Lynn Nightingale, Angus Mortimer, Jan Betker and Joan McCusker.

Since its national launch in 2002, the Canwest Raise-a-Reader campaign has raised $15 million.

This year’s national total is still climbing as donations continue to come through the Canwest Raise-a-Reader Web site (www.raiseareader.com) and the 1-866-637-READ donation line.

“The incredible support that people right across the country have given Canwest Raise-a-Reader Day, despite the current economic climate, shows just how important an issue family literacy is to Canadians,” said Leonard Asper, President and CEO of Canwest Global Communications Corp. “With our generous national and local sponsors and the efforts of participating newspapers and volunteers I am proud of the positive difference this initiative is making in the lives of so many people.”

Canwest Raise-a-Reader is supported in part by returning national sponsors 7-Eleven Stores and Global Television. New to the campaign this year is Carlson Hotels Canada.

Carlson represents a number of well-known hotel and travel industry brands, and is featuring Country Inns and Suites By Carlson^sm as Raise-a-Reader’s primary partner. Country Inns & Suites By Carlson have been promoting literacy with their “Read It and Return” lending library for years. This unique initiative invites guests and their children to borrow books from the hotels and return them at any time in future, at any location.

Country Inns & Suites By Carlson is also the exclusive sponsor of the Raise-a-Reader Concert Series. The Concert Series generates funds and increases awareness of literacy issues throughout the year, as participating artists donate a portion of proceeds from ticket sales on their Canadian tours. Michael Bublé was the first performer to lend his voice to literacy when the series launched in 2007. Since that time the series has had the support of Anne Murray, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Sam Roberts, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, and now Jann Arden.

There are 27 cities across Canada involved in Canwest Raise-a-Reader Day: St. John’s, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Summerside, Halifax, Sydney, Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Kelowna, Penticton, Prince George, Kamloops, Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, and Tofino/Ucluelet.

About Canwest Global Communications Corp.

Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com), (TSX: CGS and CGS.A,) an international media company, is Canada’s largest media company. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, Canwest is Canada’s largest publisher of English language paid daily newspapers and owns, operates and/or holds substantial interests in conventional television, out-of-home advertising, specialty cable channels, and web sites in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Canwest Global Communications Corp.
April Andreosso, Director, Community and Public Relations, 204-953-7717
aandreosso@canwest.com