TVO encourages Ontario kids to keep on giving during season two of the award-winning series Giver

TORONTO, March 12, 2014 /CNW/ - Following the highly successful first season, TVO and Sinking Ship Entertainment continue to encourage Ontario kids to give back to their communities during the second season of Giver, airing Wednesdays at 6:30 pm beginning April 30, repeated Saturdays at 2 pm.

Co-produced by TVO and Sinking Ship Entertainment, Giver is a live-action TV series that inspires children across the province to get involved and contribute to the places they live, reclaiming and enhancing local playground spaces in parks all across Ontario.

In partnership with the Ontario Parks Association, TVO and Sinking Ship Entertainment put a call out to communities across the province to find those in need of a new or improved playground for local kids. During each of the 10 episodes in season two, a group of kids aged 6-12 come together to volunteer their time with host Michael Lagimodiere and the enthusiastic Giver team to build a playground in their community. With a deadline of only three days to bring their vision to life, they must decide on the playground's theme, find out what their community wants, and how they will build it.

Generating an overwhelming response from community members who eagerly participated in season one, the second season is no different; kids, families, volunteers, and local business all play a pivotal role in making the re-imagined park happen for their neighbourhood. During season two, the team takes on even bigger builds. For the first time in Giver history, the team rebuilds a school playground with help from 375 students, as well as a playground at The Bob Rumball Camp for the Deaf in Parry Sound.

Spanning across the province, the Ontario communities featured in season two are Toronto, Sarnia, Thunder Bay, Parry Sound, Niagara Falls, Linwood, Scarborough, Port Hope, Waubaushene, and Monkton.

"Giver exemplifies TVO's commitment to building citizen engagement, and provides a great platform for kids to see how their good intentions combined with hard work can benefit an entire community," says Patricia Ellingson, TVO's Creative Head of Children's and Parents' Media. "Watching these kids take a playground that's falling apart or non-existent, and create a space designed to bring families together is nothing short of amazing and inspiring.

"There's simply no show like Giver," says J.J. Johnson, series creator and partner at Sinking Ship Entertainment. "In just three days, six local kids are able to inspire a community to transform an underused space into something that everyone can benefit from. Giver tangibly shows kids that anything is possible when a community pulls together for a common goal. Let's Giver!"

Extending the Giver experience is www.giver-tv.com, which is bigger and better with fresh games and activities, such as Playground Paradise, where kids and parents build and maintain their own playground; and Giver Get Building, in which kids and parents can build park equipment with virtual tools and materials. Also new are video updates on parks from the first season of Giver. Kids can also download plans and drawings to start their own projects, and explore before-and-after photos of all the parks.

Giver was a recipient of the 2013 Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence for "Best Television Program, All Genres, Ages 6-8." In addition, Giver was nominated for "Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series" at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards.

Episode airdates:
Toronto I Love Toronto Park (April 30)
Sarnia Music Park (May 7)
Thunder Bay Sleeping Giant Park (May 14)
Parry Sound Camp Park (May 21)
Niagara Falls Boat Park (May 28)
Linwood Gnome Park (June 4)
Scarborough World Park (June 11)
Port Hope Ganaraska Trail School Park (June 18)
Waubaushene Sawmill Park (June 25)
Monkton Farm Park (July 2)

About Sinking Ship Entertainment
Sinking Ship Entertainment is an award-winning production and interactive company that creates and produces ground-breaking kids TV and transmedia content.

Since its founding in 2004, Sinking Ship has created and produced numerous children's TV series and has been on the forefront of TV production and interactive media for kids. From being selected as one of the first partners of Amazon Studios with the upcoming series Annedroids, to achieving Nick Jr.'s highest debut of all time with the action-packed series Dino Dan, Sinking Ship Entertainment brings dynamic content to audiences around the world with shows broadcast in more than 130 countries. Other series highlights include the award-winning This is Daniel Cook, This is Emily Yeung, Giver and Are We There Yet?: World Adventure. Find out more at www.sinkingship.ca.

About TVO
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.

Where to find TVO On air: Over-the-air (may vary in some areas) Cable: channel 2 (may vary in some areas) Rogers TV HD: channel 580 Bell Fibe TV HD: channel 1209 Bell Fibe TV SD: channel 209 Bell TV: channel 265 Shaw Direct HD: channel 39 Shaw Direct SD: channel 353	Websites: tvo.org tvokids.com tvoparents.com ilc.org	Online: YouTube™ iTunes™ BlackBerry World™ Bell Mobile TV™	Connect: Facebook Twitter

Available for Interviews:
Patricia Ellingson, Creative Head of Children's and Parents' Media, TVO
Michael Lagimodiere, Host, Giver
J.J. Johnson, Producer/Partner, Sinking Ship Entertainment 

SOURCE: TVO

Media Contact:
Amira de Vera, Associate Publicist, Pennant Media Group 
[email protected]
416.596.2978