Ontario Science Centre names RBC as new environment partner
RBC Eco-Home on display from June 7 to 1
TORONTO, June 8, 2010— RBC Foundation
today announced a $50,000 donation to support the Ontario
Science Centre's environmental programs and experiences. Through
its Environment Partner designation, RBC will sponsor the
Ontario Science Centre's workshops and programming during
the entire year and be a lead supporter of Environment Month
activities in April.
The Ontario Science Centre is Ontario's most visited cultural
attraction welcoming over 1.26 million visitors last year,
including 245,000 students and teachers who participated in
curriculum-correlated programs that foster science literacy
and encourage lifelong learning in young people.
"For more than 40 years, the Ontario Science Centre
has challenged millions of visitors and inspired young people
to become curious about the wonders of science," said
Jennifer Tory, RBC regional president, Greater Toronto Region.
"We are proud to support and celebrate the Science Centre's
ongoing programs aimed at driving more interest in the environmental
issues of our future."
RBC will also support the Science Centre's Earth Hour activities
which draw more than 2,500 people to various evening events
on the last Saturday in March. Past activities have included
a Star Party featuring telescopes courtesy of the Royal Astronomical
Society of Canada, displays by Engineers without Borders,
live music and First Nations story telling.
"RBC's commitment to the environment and environmental
awareness strongly supports our goals and objectives,"
said Lesley Lewis, CEO of the Ontario Science Centre. "This
partnership will strengthen our programming, and will have
a positive impact on all the visitors who participate in the
Centre's environmental initiatives and experiences."
RBC also announced that its popular interactive Eco-Home
exhibit will be onsite at the Science Centre from June 7 to
11. Millions of Canadians visited the RBC Eco-Home when it
toured across Canada during the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.
Through 20 different stations, the Eco-Home exhibit — which
itself is powered by solar panels and a wind turbine — provides
visitors with sustainable living solutions for their home
that can be implemented today.
Today's announcements deepen a well-established relationship
between RBC and the Science Centre. Four years ago, RBC became
the Lead Supporter of the Super Mondays program, which provides
approximately 2,500 students annually with the chance to participate
in pilot programs and new experiments that help the Science
Centre continue to provide industry leading science education.
This year, a number of Super Mondays activities will be dedicated
to environmental programming.
About RBC
RBC believes in building prosperity by contributing to the
communities in which we live and work. We are now one of Canada's
largest corporate donors, and we support a broad range of
community initiatives, through donations, sponsorships and
employee volunteer activities. In 2009, RBC contributed more
than $105 million to community causes worldwide. As a founding
member of Imagine Canada, RBC is committed to donating at
least one per cent of our average annual net income before
taxes.
About the Ontario Science Centre
The Ontario Science Centre uses science as the lens to inspire
and actively engage people in new ways of seeing, understanding
and thinking about themselves and the world around them. The
facility recently received Green Building certification for
energy efficiency by the Building Owners and Managers Association
(BOMA), and was named building of the year in the Public Assembly
category. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government
of Ontario. For more information, visit www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca
or call the box office at 416-696-1000.
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For more information, contact:
Jackie Braden,
Senior Manager, Sponsorship Communications,
(416) 974-1724, jackie.braden@rbc.com
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