Canadian Shopping Centres raise over $85,000 - All proceeds to benefit
Canada's Paralympic winter athletes

VANCOUVER, April 13 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Bentall LP announced today that their national Hands Up Canada campaign was a huge success, with fundraising and awareness of Canadian Paralympic Winter Athletes surpassing initial expectations.

This accomplishment was achieved via the efforts of Bentall LP managed shopping centres and its employees who participated in various fundraisers, hosted special events and athlete appearances.

"Our main goals in creating the "Hands Up Canada" campaign were to educate the communities that we serve about Paralympic sport and raise money to support our athletes," said Bonney Rempel, regional director, Marketing Retail Services West, Bentall LP.

The website www.handsupcanada.com was created to assist with the goal of raising awareness of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and its athletes. Viewers could send a message of support to our athletes and were encouraged to enter a national contest to win a trip for 2 to the Paralympic Games. Of the 65,000 on-line entries received, Michelle Bradley, a retired physiotherapist from Calgary, AB won the Grand Prize VIP package which included airfare, accommodation, Team Canada gear and event tickets.

"My husband, Jay is recovering from two cancers this past year and he is (now) doing great. We are training for a mini-triathlon for cancer survivors and their care givers. In speaking to the Paralympians, we got a fresh look at our own abilities and courage to stay tough," Bradly gratefully expressed.

The Hands Up Canada campaign also engaged hundreds of students from across the nation, by asking them to decorate a "paper" hand. Shoppers at each participating mall were asked to sponsor a hand for a $2.00 donation. In return, they received an uncirculated commemorative Paralympic quarter. In addition, a limited edition pin was created and sold for $5.

"Thirty shopping centres across the nation linked together and supported our talented Paralympic athletes. Symbolically the "decorated" hands on display at each participating mall sent a powerful message of Canadian pride. We would like to thank everyone who generously supported our fundraising initiatives - collectively we tripled our fundraising goal," said Domenic Imbesi, regional director, Marketing Retail Services East, Bentall LP.

"The 2010 Canadian Paralympic Team made history at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. With 10 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals they ranked third, the best finish ever for a Canadian team at a Paralympic Winter Games," said Henry Storgaard, chief executive officer, CPC. "Their performances made all Canadians proud, and would not have been possible without the support of Bentall LP and its shopping centres across Canada."

Participating Shopping Centres:

    
    1000 ISLAND MALL, ON                 BENTALL CENTRE, Vancouver, BC
    BOWER PLACE, Red Deer, AB            CAPILANO MALL, North Vancouver, BC
    CHAMPLAIN SQUARE, Vancouver, BC      CLOVERDALE MALL, Etobicoke, ON
    COUNTRY HILLS TOWN CENTRE,           DALHOUSIE STATION, Calgary, AB
     Calgary, AB
    DORVAL CROSSING EAST, Oakville, ON   DORVAL CROSSING WEST, Oakville, ON
    DRIFTWOOD MALL, Courtenay, BC        HAZELDEAN MALL, Kanata, ON
    INTERCHANGE PLAZA, Vaughan, ON       MARCHE CENTRAL, Montreal QC
    MILTON MALL, Milton ON               NORTH HILL CENTRE, Calgary, AB
    PARK & TILFORD, North Vancouver, BC  PARKGATE VILLAGE,
                                          North Vancouver, BC
    SHERIDAN CENTRE, Mississauga, ON     SQUAMISH STATION, Squamish, BC
    SUNWOOD SQUARE, Coquitlam, BC        TAMARACK CENTRE, Cranbrook, BC
    THE VILLAGE AT VAUGHAN MILLS,        VILLAGE GREEN MALL, Vernon, BC
     Vaughan, ON
    WESTGATE CENTRE, Maple Ridge, BC     WESTMOUNT SHOPPING CENTRE,
                                          London, ON
    WESTSHORE TOWN CENTRE,               WILLOWBROOK SHOPPING CENTRE,
     Langford (Victoria), BC              Langley, BC
    WILLOWBROOK SHOPPING PARK,           WINDSOR CROSSING, LaSalle, ON
     Langley, BC
    

About Bentall LP

Bentall LP is the largest Canadian-based real estate advisory and services organization, with over $16 billion in assets under management. Our business is built on a solid foundation of real estate knowledge and exacting fiduciary standards. Bentall serves major institutional and private investors, supplying a range of asset management, property management, leasing and development services to over 100 clients. For more information, visit www.bentall.com.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) is a non-profit, private organisation with 43 member sports organisations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The CPC is responsible for creating an optimal high-performance environment for the Canadian Paralympic athletes to win at Paralympic and ParaPanAmerican Games. By supporting Canadian Paralympic athletes and promoting their success, the CPC inspires all Canadians with a physical disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organisations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca.

Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee by becoming a fan on Facebook, and following on Twitter.

For further information: Bonney Rempel, Regional Director, Marketing Retail Services, WEST, Bentall LP, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Domenic Imbesi, Regional Director, Marketing Retail Services EAST, Bentall LP, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Anna Parisi, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]