Breakfast Clubs of Canada's Help Them Shine Campaign Kicks Off Today!

Everything is possible when children have breakfast

MONTREAL, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - In classrooms across Canada there are future prime ministers, teachers and Stanley Cup champions. Everything is possible when children have breakfast - but 1 in 10 children are at risk of going to school on an empty stomach.

Feeding the national need for a nutritious start to the day since 2005, Breakfast Clubs of Canada kicks off the Help Them Shine Campaign in partnership with Walmart Canada today.

From February 16 to March 11, 2012, Canadians are invited to show their support by purchasing a $1 bookmark at Walmart Canada stores across the country. Every bookmark sold equals one nutritious breakfast for a child.

"Breakfast Clubs of Canada is committed to the cause of feeding our children's future," says Daniel Germain, president-founder of Breakfast Clubs of Canada. "Every child deserves an equal chance to shine in school and in life and by reaching this year's fundraising goal we will continue to help level the playing field for disadvantaged children."

The campaign aims to raise more than $2.5 million because at the centre of so many communities across Canada, there are children who rely on breakfast clubs as a place to have a healthy breakfast in a caring and supportive environment. So when the school bell rings, they are ready to learn - with energy, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Breakfast Clubs of Canada serves approximately 18 million breakfasts annually to 118,000 children in 1,170 schools across Canada. With funds raised from the Help Them Shine Campaign, the organization will be able to support and launch 125 new in-school breakfast programs and increase its training programs to focus on, among other things, nutrition, youth self-esteem and volunteerism.

"Walmart is focused on helping Canadian families in need, and our support of Breakfast Clubs of Canada certainly helps us in that mission," says Shelley Broader, president and CEO of Walmart Canada. "Since 2006, we've donated and raised close to $16 million to Breakfast Clubs of Canada. These donations provide more than just food; they give children a brighter future."

During the campaign, Walmart Canada customers can also support Breakfast Clubs of Canada by purchasing select food products from Danone, Folgers, Kellogg's, the Laughing Cow, and Uncle Ben's. These generous partners will donate a portion of sales during February and March to Breakfast Clubs of Canada.

Enter the Help Them Shine contest and tell us what you ate for breakfast for a chance to win airfare, courtesy of Air Canada, for a family of four to any destination in North America, the Caribbean, Mexico or Hawaii! Visit www.facebook.com/BreakfastClubsCanadaFanClub.

To learn more about Breakfast Clubs of Canada's activities and its mission, or to find out how you can get involved, visit www.breakfastclubscanada.org.

SOURCE Breakfast Clubs of Canada

Video with caption: "Video: It's not just about breakfast ... It's about building a community". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20120216_C4672_VIDEO_EN_10130.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20120216_C4672_PHOTO_EN_10130.jpg&clientName=Breakfast%20Clubs%20of%20Canada&caption=Video%3A%20It%27s%20not%20just%20about%20breakfast%20%2E%2E%2E%20It%27s%20about%20building%20a%20community&title=BREAKFAST%20CLUBS%20OF%20CANADA%20%2D%20It%27s%20not%20just%20about%20breakfast%20%2E%2E%2E%20It%27s%20about%20building%20a%20community&headline=Breakfast%20Clubs%20of%20Canada%27s%20Help%20Them%20Shine%20Campaign%20Kicks%20Off%20Today%21

Image with caption: "$1 equals a nutritious breakfast for a child. (CNW Group/Breakfast Clubs of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120216_C4672_PHOTO_EN_10134.jpg

Audio with caption: "Audio: Arlene Dickinson Help Them Shine PSA". Audio available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2012/02/16/20120216_C4672_AUDIO_EN_10132.mp3

PDF with caption: "Help Them Shine! campaign bookmark ". PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2012/02/16/20120216_C4672_DOC_EN_10128.pdf