London area residents help retailer raise thousands of dollars for Special
Olympics Canada

Southwestern Ontario in-store fundraiser collects more than $7,000 for athletes with an intellectual disability

RICHMOND HILL, ON, July 21 /CNW/ - STAPLES Canada sends a 'thank you' to all London area customers who helped support Special Olympics athletes during the Give a Dollar. Share a Dream campaign - you helped raised over $7,600.00 for Special Olympics Canada.  The fundraiser, held at six London-area STAPLES stores from June 7 till July 11, generated support for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, held in London, Ontario, July 13 to 17.

"You're making dreams come true for these athletes. They are being given the chance to succeed at the games, while learning life skills too," said Steve Matyas, president of STAPLES Canada. STAPLES stores in London, Woodstock and Strathroy sold SOC pins, accepted cash donations from customers and held BBQs to show their support for the athletes.

"We have not only been a national sponsor of SOC since 1996, but our partnership goes beyond that; we also employ 10 athletes in our stores," continued Matyas—athletes, like Christina Campbell of Team Ontario, who competes in rhythmic gymnastics and is a world champion.

"Customers in the London area came together with STAPLES Canada associates to support a great cause, helping fulfill the dreams of those with an intellectual disability. Everyone at Special Olympics Canada would like to say, 'thank you, for your generosity," says Deborah Bright, president and CEO of Special Olympics Canada.

More than 1, 400 athletes, coaches and mission staff attended the games in London, Ontario.

Since the inception of STAPLES Canada's "Give a Dollar. Share a Dream." a national fundraising initiative launched in 1999, STAPLES Canada's corporate donations plus customer contributions have totaled over $4-million. It remains the single largest corporate fundraising campaign for Special Olympics Canada. STAPLES Canada has been a national sponsor of Special Olympics Canada since 1996.

About STAPLES Canada
Founded in Toronto in 1991, STAPLES Canada Inc. is Canada's largest supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services for the small business and home office customer. The company is an everyday low price retailer. The chain operates stores in all provinces across Canada under the banners STAPLES Canada and Bureau en Gros^MC. Marketing Magazine's Marketing/Leger 2009 Corporate Reputation Survey ranked STAPLES Canada/Bureau en Gros in the top five. The company has over 13,500 employees serving customers through more than 320 office superstores, catalogue, and e-commerce. STAPLES, STAPLES^®/ Bureau en Gros^MC is committed to making shopping easy by offering customers three ways to shop: online, by catalogue and in-store. More information is available at www.staples.ca.

About Special Olympics Canada
Special Olympics Canada is dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport. It is a national, not-profit organization that provides training and competition opportunities to more than 34, 000 athletes of all ages and abilities through local sport clubs and with the support of an extensive network of 16,300 volunteers, including 13,000 trained coaches.  For more information about Special Olympics Canada, visit www.specialolympics.ca or call toll-free, 1.888.888.0608.

For further information:

For media queries, please contact:

Alessandra Saccal/Rachel Swiednicki
STAPLES Canada
905-737-1147, x2363/905-737-1147, x2714
[email protected], [email protected]

Susana Petti
Director, Marketing and Public Relations
Special Olympics Canada
416-927-9050, x237
[email protected]