HSBC BANK CANADA DONATES $200,000 TO CLEAN AIR CHAMPIONS

VANCOUVER, Sept. 20 /CNW/ - Clean Air Champions (CAC) is proud to announce that it has received a $200,000 donation from HSBC Bank Canada to support CAC's unique national school program - HSBC Clean Air Achievers - over the next two years.

To mark the donation, CAC and HSBC Bank Canada held a celebrity tandem bike race at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on September 19th. The race paired Clean Air Champion athletes with Vancouver Councillor Geoff Meggs, HSBC Bank Canada President and CEO Lindsay Gordon and local media personalities. The racers rode neck and neck down UBC's Main Mall with CTV Vancouver News Anchor Coleen Christie and 2008 Olympic Gold Medal Rower Adam Kreek, finishing first and taking the Gold Medal.

"HSBC has a long-standing commitment to the environment and education, so we are delighted to support an organization like Clean Air Champions that brings these two values together," said Lindsay Gordon, who raced with Shelley-Ann Brown, 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, Women's Bobsleigh. "We are proud that our $200,000 donation will allow students across Canada to learn from top athletes about the positive impact their personal transportation choices can make."

According to CAC Executive Director Deirdre Laframboise: "Clean Air Champions succeeds because of partners like HSBC Bank Canada. HSBC's continued support for the HSBC Clean Air Achievers program has allowed us to expand our programming and reach thousands more youth from coast to coast. This translates into more physically active youth and less air pollution from these youth being inspired to choose active and more sustainable modes of transportation. We are very grateful to HSBC Bank Canada for recognizing CAC's value to Canadians and for their continued support for our school program."

HSBC Clean Air Achievers is a curriculum linked, bilingual program for youth in grades 6 to 9 providing education around the interconnections between air quality, climate change and health. The program's two main goals are to encourage youth to choose less polluting forms of travel and to increase their level of physical fitness by choosing active modes of travel (walking, rolling or cycling) to their destinations.

About HSBC Bank Canada:

HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, has more than 260 offices, including over 140 bank branches, and is the leading international bank in Canada. With around 8,000 offices in 87 countries and territories and assets of US$2,418 billion at 30 June, 2010, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations.

About Clean Air Champions:

CAC is a national charity that works with respected athletes to educate and inspire Canadians to adopt practices and lifestyles that enhance personal and environmental health. The Champions are made up of over 180 national team, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, each passionate about our environment and the health of Canadians.

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For further information: Clean Air Champions: Deirdre Laframboise, 613-730-7353, [email protected], www.cleanairchampions.ca; HSBC Bank Canada: Ernest Yee, 604-641-2973, [email protected], www.hsbc.ca