Canada Speaks - Introducing the 2012 Aviva Community Fund Semi-Finalists

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - After more than ten weeks of submitting ideas and voting, Canadians have chosen their favourite ideas as Aviva Community Fund semi-finalists. The competition - created by home and auto insurer Aviva Canada - offers $1,000,000 in donations to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country.

Canadians have submitted over 1,500 ideas and cast nearly two million votes for projects and worthy causes that will improve communities across the country. The semi-finalists will again attempt to capture the hearts and votes of Canadians, with the top 30 (10 from each funding category) becoming finalists for the community funding.

However, every idea can be a winner: Starting today, ideas with associated charities that are not moving on to the semi-finals will have their "vote now" button replaced with a "donate now" button. These ideas can continue to leverage AvivaCommunityFund.org to collect donations from supporters.

Starting December 3, voters are encouraged to visit www.AvivaCommunityFund.org to support their favourite semi-finalist ideas until December 12, 2012. Finalists and winners will be announced December 17, 2012 and January 29, 2013, respectively.

Aviva Canada congratulates the semi-finalists, listed below by province:

National

• The Drawing Hope Project

British Columbia

• St Thomas More - Sports Equipment & Programs For Kids (Burnaby)
• Connect Our Wildlife Rescue Center to the World (Courtenay)
• AFTER THE FIRE: Rebuild a Neighbourhood Treasure (East Vancouver)
• Pavilion Theatre: Revitalize a community arts space! (Kamloops)
• Exoskeleton for Trevor Greene Canadian Veteran (Nanaimo)
• Castle Park's "Play for ALL" universally accessible playground (Port Coquitlam)
• iPads in the Classroom for New Generation Learners (Surrey)
• A new Turtle Gardens Bus so rescued dogs can go...home (Topley)
• Ending the Cycle of Homeless Cats and Kittens (Vancouver)
• Gladstone Secondary Greenhouse for Science and Foods Programs (Vancouver)
• Medical equipment for a new chronic diseases clinic in Vancouver (Vancouver)

Northwest Territories

• Arctic Paws (Inuvik)
• The Children First Playground: Where Arctic Kids Can Dream (Inuvik)
• Bringing "Fun" Back (Yellowknife)

Alberta

• Hardisty Playground Project (Edmonton)
• Poplar Park District & Florence Hallock School Playground (Edmonton)
• Vera M. Welsh and the community of Lac La Biche need a new play (Lac La Biche)
• Rescue for Life - Spay/Neuter Initiatives (Spruce Grove)

Saskatchewan

• Chase Kraynick "Pay It Forward" Splash Park (Canora)
• Foam Lake Water Park Tot Pool (Foam Lake)
• Moose Jaw Humane Society - cats need your help (Moose Jaw)

Ontario

• People for Playgrounds-Slide Into Action - Community Park. (Atikokan)
• St. Anne Student Spirit and Work Centre (Belle River)
• Supporting Cancer Care in Brant (Brantford)
• Burlington Teen Tour Band to Ireland - March 2013 (Burlington)
• Oneida School Playground Revitalization (Caledonia)
• Creating a stadium at Collingwood Collegiate (Collingwood)
• Carefor Hospice Cornwall (Cornwall)
• A Playground for All (Courtice)
• Dryden Memorial Arena Sound System & Press Box Upgrade (Dryden)
• The Power of Play - A Barrier Free Playground (Fergus)
• Riehl skate park (Fonthill)
• The Serenity Garden Project: Ronald McDonald House (Hamilton)
• John Young Playground Plea (Kanata)
• Silver Lake Camp "A small camp with a big impact" (Kinloss)
• To Provide Spay & Neuter Vouchers for low income and pensioner's (Leamington/Kingsville)
• Working together to further our community (Lindsay)
• Non-profit Companion Animal Hospital & Shelter (London)
• Marathon Museum (Marathon)
• COTM Special Needs Program (Markham)
• E.T. Crowle P.S. READy Set Read Library Revitalization Project (Markham)
• 40 hours and beyond (Markham/ Scarborough)
• Epilepsy Awareness Multi-Media Campaign (Niagara Falls)
• Stay Strong Nick Roma (Niagara Falls)
• Valley Park Go Green Cricket Field Project - Let There Be Lights (North York)
• Georgian Bay Turtle Hospital (Orillia)
• Perth Ontario needs a Splash Pad!(Perth)
• Kaiden's Care Kits (Russell)
• Fill the Pool!  A community comes together to re-open their pool (Smiths Falls)
• Promoting Human/Bear Coexistence through Education and Action (Sprucedale)
• Stratford Splash Pad -Cash for Splash! (Stratford)
• Harder-4-Carter: The Carter Antila Memorial SkatePark (Temiskaming Shores)
• Kitty Kare Thunder Bay Cat Sanctuary (Thunder Bay)
• Best Buddies Don Mills C.I. (Toronto)
• Excellence for Us! (Toronto)
• Sherbourne's "Share and Learn" Kitchen (Toronto)
• Playground for Winger Wolverines!!! (Wainfleet)
• Sensory Therapy Room for kids at Lutherwood (Waterloo)
• From Bumps to Breastfeeding: Providing mother & baby support (Winchester)
• Help us Help them - Earn your wings (Windsor)
• Kids Don't Need To Lose It - Preventing Beaker Overflow (Windsor)
• Supporting females to be strong and independent leaders (Windsor)
• MegaHurtin': Boosting the Bard (Ontario)

Quebec

• Une vraie cour d'école pour ados! (Bois-des-Filion)
• Nouveau gymnase pour notre club de gymnastique les Hirondelles (Granby)
• Help Build the Animal Rescue Network's Purrfect Shelter (Montreal)
• REACH OUT TO STREET YOUTH!! REJOIGNEZ LES JEUNES DE LA RUE!!! (Montreal)
• La robotique contre le décrochage scolaire (Rimouski)
• Projet Paradis / Paradis Project (Rimouski)
• REFUGE ANNI-MAUX (St-Bernardquebec)
• Sports for all/Rendre accessible et universelle la pratique du sport organisé (Sherbrooke)
• Un préau pour L'École des Enfants-de-la-Terre (Waterville)
• Maude et Les Toupies (Québec)

New Brunswick

• Building Change - A New Shelter for the RCSPCA (Dalhousie)
• 4 paws 2 hands one Heart - The Refuge Madawaska Shelter (Edmundson)
• Help us put play in our playground! (Fredericton)
• Volunteering to Independence Program "the Katimavik VIP program" (Fredericton)
• Grand Bay-Westfield Skateboard/Bike Park (Grand Bay-Westfield)
• Hampton Skate Board Park (Hampton)
• Never Enough Room.....Help Us Help Even More (Moncton)
• The Compassion Project (Quispamsis)
• Ca-R-Ma Cat Rescue Maritimes- Saint John Chapter (Saint John)
• Saint John SPCA Animal Rescue - LIFESAVER PROGRAM (Saint John)
• Senior's Wheelchair Accessible Bus-Kennebec Manor (Saint John)
• The Joshua Group Center - Nourishing the Spirit Soul & Body (Saint John)
• CACHET D'ANTAN PRISE 2 (Saint-Quentin)

Nova Scotia

• A Shelter for H.A.R.T. (Aylesford)
• Empowering Children with Cerebral Palsy One Step At A Time! (Dartmouth)
• Undercurrent Youth Centre (Glace Bay)
• A fan-run fan-funded sci-fi & fantasy convention (Halifax)
• Fighting for Healthy Affordable Food in North End Halifax (Halifax)
• Supporting homeless and at-risk military veterans (Halifax)
• Sackville's Inclusive Play Park (Sackville)
• Hope for Wildlife- Marine Wildlife Rescue Centre (Seaforth)

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Completion of Freedom Park (Burin)
• Andy's Rainbow Park (Channel- Port aux Basques)
• Happy Valley Goose Bay SPCA (Happy Valley Goose Bay)

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada providing home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance to more than three million customers. The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc and has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada and its employees invest in positive change including through the Aviva Community Fund and Eva's Initiatives, its partner in Aviva's global Street to School program to help homeless and other at-risk youth reach their potential.

For more information visit AvivaCanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE: Aviva Canada Inc.