Superheroes to Rappel Down Office Building at Bloor & Church at Toronto Drop Zone, September 29

TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - On September 29, brave fundraisers seeking a new challenge will become superheroes for the day by participating in Easter Seals Drop Zone Toronto, a 14-city, nation-wide exhilarating event that challenges individuals and changes lives. Nearly 180 individuals who have raised a minimum of $1,500 will step outside their comfort zones by harnessing up and rappelling down from the top of the Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (CREIT)'s head office building on the corner of Bloor St. and Church St. in downtown Toronto, clad in their best superhero costume and cheered on by passer-bys below.

"CREIT first approached Easter Seals in 2004 with the idea of an event where the public would raise funds for the opportunity to rappel down the side of one of our multi-storey office buildings," said Stephen Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of CREIT. Mr. Johnson added, "That first event raised approximately $70,000 and the Drop Zone event has since grown into a popular national initiative, raising over $10 million to-date. As the National Founding Sponsor, CREIT is very pleased to once again host the Toronto event at our head office building on Bloor Street."

Drop Zone will be held outside of the CREIT building at Bloor St. and Church St. all day, and will feature a live DJ, the Indie88 Street Team and media emcees, who will be on the mic with the play-by-play of the day's events. In addition, Jennifer Valentyne and Breakfast Television Toronto will be onsite from 6:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Our celebrity guests include Indie 88's Brian Bailey, Suzanne Leonard from The Weather Network, Toronto Maple Leafs alumni, Brad May, Natasha Ramsahai and Jennifer Valentyne from City Toronto, Ingrid Schumacher from CHUM-FM, TV's Brad Smith, HNIC's George Stroumboulopoulos, and Gregg Zaun and Ken Reid of Sportsnet. In addition, Gregg and Ken will be rappelling and hosting a group of top fundraisers for a VIP lunch.

Drop Zone Toronto is proud to have the support of National Founding Sponsor, Presenting Sponsor and local host CREIT; National Hero Sponsor and Superhero Sidekick Sponsor Amway; National Supplier TACTEN, as well as The Rock Oasis, Metroland Media, Aird & Berlis LLP, Impact Cleaning Services, Breakaway Experiences, and Grassroots Advertising. All rappellers receive training by The Rock Oasis prior to their rappel. Visit thedropzone.ca for more information.

Over the past 10 years, close to 6,000 superheroes have joined the exclusive Superhero Club and raised over $10 million for Easter Seals across Canada.

For the past 93 years, Easter Seals Ontario has played an important role in providing support for children and youth with physical disabilities from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Thanks to its generous donors, Easter Seals offers financial assistance for mobility equipment, communication devices and fully accessible summer camp opportunities at its two properties, Camp Merrywood and Camp Woodeden. For more information about Easter Seals, visit EasterSeals.org.

SOURCE Easter Seals Ontario

For media inquires, contact: Franco Cignelli, Easter Seals Ontario, 416-421-8377 ext. 326, [email protected]