Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment teams up to aid Haitian earthquake victims

TORONTO , Jan. 22 /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), with the help of Toronto sports fans and their partner Rogers, will undertake a variety of fundraising efforts in support of UNICEF's and ONEXONE's Haitian earthquake relief efforts during the Toronto Marlies' home game January 23 at Ricoh Coliseum, the Toronto Raptors home game January 24 and the Toronto Maple Leafs' home game January 26 , both at Air Canada Centre.

Employees from all four of MLSE's teams will be located throughout the arena collecting cash donations for UNICEF from fans in attendance. MLSE will match in-arena cash donations for UNICEF made during the January 23, 24 and 26 home games.

"The events in Haiti have been devastating and have had a tremendous impact on the entire world. We know that many of our fans have been personally affected by this tragedy," said Richard Peddie , president and CEO of MLSE. "One of our core values as an organization is to be a leader in the community and we would be remiss if we did not mobilize our resources to help alleviate the suffering in Haiti . "We are lucky to have the support of the best fans in the world. If they get behind this cause with the same passion that they support our four teams with, then we should be able to do some amazing things together."

With close to 50,000 fans expected to attend all three games, a donation of only a few dollars by each fan and MLSE employee contributions combined with matching donations from both MLSE and the Canadian government would result in a significant amount that has the ability to make a meaningful difference for the people of Haiti .

MLSE has also teamed up with Rogers Wireless to promote their text message campaign. The campaign will be featured during the Leafs, Raptors and Marlies broadcasts to provide fans not in attendance an opportunity to make donations. By sending the text message "HELP" to shortcode 1291 from a personal mobile device, Rogers and Fido customers can donate $5 CDN to the Haitian relief efforts. Rogers is working with The ONEXONE Foundation to facilitate 100 per cent of donations in funds and goods to Partners In Health: Haiti and other Haitian relief organizations.

MLSE Teams Up to Aid Haiti Earthquake Relief

Between January 22 and January 30 , CentreSports, the official store of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Marlies and Toronto FC, will donate $20 to UNICEF Canada Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund for every Leafs, Raptors, Marlies and Toronto FC jersey sold. This donation will also apply to all jerseys sold at all Air Canada Centre and Ricoh Coliseum kiosks.

For more information on how to make an on-line donation, please visit www.mlse.com or any of our four team websites - www.mapleleafs.com, www.raptors.com, www.torontomarlies.com and www.torontofc.ca.

About UNICEF: UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

About ONEXONE: Founded in 2005 by Diesel Canada president, Joelle (Joey) Adler, ONEXONE is a Canadian charitable organization committed to providing aid and preserving the lives of children in Canada , the U.S. and around the world. ONEXONE's focus is to continue to develop its own programs as well as partnering up with existing organizations in order help promote the premise of a handshake rather than a hand out. Since its inception, ONEXONE has distributed and facilitated over seven million dollars worldwide for its charity partners and ongoing initiatives.

For further information: Rajani Kamath, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, [phone]; Jamie Deans, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, [phone]