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CBC ANNOUNCES ITS 2015 ANNUAL HOLIDAY CHARITY DRIVES

  Details announced for CBC’s annual cross-country holiday fundraising events and programming

  November 30, 2015 -   The CBC’s plans for its 2015 regional holiday charity drives are set, with special events and holiday programming scheduled to roll out across Canada this   December. CBC personalities and local talent will engage with Canadians through a wide range of events, including open houses, concerts, radiothons and   sing­ins. The CBC’s goal is to raise funds and collect foods and to create meaningful experiences that connect with Canadians in their local communities.

  Each year, the CBC partners with many local organizations and charities, while dedicating programming and volunteers to raise awareness in efforts to bring   Canadians together and strengthen local communities. Much of CBC’s holiday fundraising supports local food banks, soup kitchens and Christmas-hamper   programs.

  CBC/Radio­Canada’s 2014 regional holiday charity drive raised more than $7,770,500 in cash donations, and collected more than 415,600 lbs. of food and   12,000 turkeys for Canadians in need. In addition, through its participation in the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign, the CBC raised   almost $250,000 to support local United Ways, HealthPartners, and more than 80,000 registered Canadian charities. More than 1000 current and retired CBC   employees participated in the campaign.

  A rundown of this year’s CBC holiday charity drive activities across the country is as follows:

  CBC Vancouver is opening its doors once again on Dec. 4 for the   29th annual CBC/Radio-Canada Open House and Food Bank Day. The event features appearances by many CBC personalities, including CBC Vancouver News hostAndrew Chang, senior meteorologistJohanna Wagstaffe, CBC TV Marketplace’sErica Johnson and CBC News Network’s   Ian Hanomansing, who, along with Kids’ CBC mascots Daniel Tiger, Napkin Man, and Super WHY!, will be on-site to meet the public and participate in the day of live broadcasts, beginning at 6 a.m.#CBCOpenHouse  #CBCFoodBankDay

  We are also excited to celebrate the incredible generosity of our CBC audience with special live broadcasts in Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Prince   Rupert and Victoria, and our annual Open House in Prince George

  CBC Calgary   is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the CBC Calgary Suncor Food Bank Drive,   with programming and events Dec. 1-24. Highlights include: the Calgary Eyeopener will sell Fratello coffee and specially designed mugs in Calgary   at the Analog Café on Dec. 4, in Red Deer on December 9 and Medicine Hat on Dec. 14; Key of A host Katherine Duncan will showcase three local bands on Dec. 9 at Festival Hall; a live broadcast of our provincial program Alberta at Noon in Red Deer with hostDonna McElligott; live broadcast of The Homestretch from Canada Olympic Park on Dec. 11 withDoug Dirks and Jenny Hows; and a live broadcasts in the CBC lobby on Dec. 17 with CBC hosts   David Gray, Angela Knight, Doug Dirks, Jenny Howe and CBC News host Rob Brown. #feedyyc

  CBC Edmonton   will host its 20th Annual CBC Turkey Drive for Edmonton’s Food Bank from Dec. 11-18.   Special programming includes: An Edmonton Food Bank special airing Dec. 12-14, followed by a newsroom tour on Dec. 16 for donors dropping off frozen turkeys and monetary donations in person. Edmonton AM will be broadcasting live remotely at La Cité Francophone from 5:30 - 8:30 a.m. and   Radio Active‘s bid-a-thon will also take place on Dec. 17 from 3 - 6 p.m.

  CBC Saskatchewan’s         15th Annual Comfort and Joy Open House and Food Bank       Day     takes place on Dec. 11. In Saskatoon, Saskatoon Morning with host Leisha Grebinski will broadcast live from 6 - 8:30 a.m. with contesting, live music with Don Griffith, and behind-the-scenes tour of the CBC. In Regina, The Morning Edition with host   Sheila Coles will broadcast live from the CBC Galleria from 6 - 8:30 a.m. with roots singer Eli Barsi. Blue Sky   will air live from 12 noon - 1 p.m. and The Afternoon Edition with host Garth Materie will broadcast live from 4 - 6 p.m. with   refreshments and live music from Ben Sures. Tours run from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. with special guest appearances with CBC Kids’ Bookaboo and   storytime with CBC Saskatchewan meteorologist Christy Climenhaga. #cbccomfortjoy

  CBC Manitoba   will be hosting its         CBC Manitoba Harvesting Hope Campaign     on Dec. 11 in support of Winnipeg Harvest, featuring live performances by local musicians, live broadcasts throughout the day and appearances from CBC Radio One hosts Marcy Markusa and Ismaila Alfa, Winnipeg News host Janet Stewart and meteorologist   John Sauder. #CBCHarvestHope

 

  CBC Ottawa is holding a special day of programming on Dec. 11 as part of the annual charity drive   Project Give. It’s a day of stories, songs, prizes and charitable giving that will help those in need build a better life in their community. Ottawa Morning hostRobyn Bresnahan will broadcast live from the Bridgehead Roastery and Coffeehouse from 5:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One, 91.5 FM. #cbcProjectGive  

  CBC Toronto   ‘s Sounds of the Season (SOTS) annual charity drive in support of local food banks takes place at the CBC Broadcasting Centre on Dec. 4 from 5:30 a.m. -7 p.m. The event features live radio and television broadcasts, appearances by CBC personalities - including Metro Morning host   Matt Galloway, and CBC Toronto News co-hosts Anne-Marie Mediwake and Dwight Drummond - performances by some of Toronto’s best musicians, including Francesco Yates, Fito Blanko, Alysha BrillaScott Helman and Julian Taylor. Food and monetary donations can continue to be made until Dec. 31. #CBCSOTS

  CBC Montreal will be celebrating its annual CBC Christmas Sing-In Charity Drive with an all-day broadcast (5:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.) from the NDG Food Depot on Dec. 11, and the Sing-In concert with host   Ben Hepner and Sonali Karnick on Dec. 13. All proceeds go to help the NDG Food Depot’s Boîte à Lunch   program that offers healthy cooking and after-school workshop programs for children and teens. #cbcsingin

 

  CBC Quebec City   CBC Radio One in Quebec City is a proud partner of the         Community Christmas Hamper Campaign     . The campaign will bring the English-speaking community together for its 20th year. Until Dec. 11, CBC will collect non-perishable food donations at the   CBC office (888 rue St-Jean). Tune in to Quebec AM (6 - 8:30 a.m.) and Breakaway (4 - 6 p.m.) on CBC Radio One 104.7 FM for more details.   #qchamper

  CBC Thunder Bay will open its doors at 6 a.m. for its   Sounds of the Season   open house on Dec. 4. Admission is free with a donation to the Regional Food Distribution Association. #CBCSOTS

 

  CBC Windsor’s   Sounds of the Season   will broadcast live from St. Clair College, featuring St. Clair’s Glee Club, on Dec. 11 from 6 - 8:30 a.m. St Clair College basketball teams will be   raising their weight in food donations for SOTS and CBC News Windsor with Lisa Xing will be broadcasting live from 6 - 7 p.m. Donations go   to support the Unemployed Health Centre. #CBCSOTS

  CBC Hamilton   will broadcast a noon-hour         Sounds of the Season     special featuring Terra Lightfoot and Rita Chiarelli on Dec. 4 from 12 - 1 p.m. at CBC Hamilton Studio. Admission is free   with a donation to the Hamilton Food Share. #CBCSOTS

  CBC Kitchener-Waterloo   will broadcast CBC KW’s Morning Edition at TheMuseum for a special         Sounds of The Season     live show on Dec. 4. Two hours of special programming will feature Twin City Harmonizers and Slide by Slide brass band starting at 6 a.m. Donations go to   support The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. #CBCSOTS

  CBC Fredericton’s   Feed A Family   raises funds to support food banks in the Upper River Valley of New Brunswick. This year, over 2500 families need support. The campaign finishes on Dec. 18   with an open house during Information Morning from 6 - 9 a.m.

  CBC Saint John   Harbour Lights   supports food banks in Southwestern New Brunswick. The show hits the road Nov. 30 and will be visiting communities from Sussex to St. Stephen, leading to   the Saint John City Market Show on Dec. 11.

  CBC Moncton   Tree of Hope   radio-a-thon took place on Nov. 27 during Information Morning Moncton from 6 - 9 a.m. and raised $214,000.

  CBC P.E.I.   Turkey Drive is a three-week campaign in which Islanders donate turkeys at partner locations across the province. Local weather host   Kevin “Boomer” Gallant will be on the road to collect contributions in five communities the week beginning Dec. 7. The campaign will   wrap-up on Island Morning on Dec. 18 from 6 - 8:40 a.m. #CBCHelps #CBCTurkeyDrive

  CBC Sydney’s   Light Up A Life   three-week campaign on Cape Breton Island will raise funds in support of Feed Nova Scotia.

  CBC Nova Scotia   (Mainland) hosts Feed Nova Scotia Day on Dec. 11, raising much-needed funds and collecting food for Feed Nova Scotia. The day runs from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. starting with Information Morning and ending with   Mainstreet. #CBCHelps #CBCFeedNS

  CBC Newfoundland & Labrador collects turkeys every year so families in the province can enjoy a delicious turkey dinner for the holidays. The annual   CBC NL Turkey Drive runs from Dec. 7 - 23 with a range of live radio remotes in local neighbourhoods. There will also be a special   Saturday Turkey Drive drop-off at the local CBC station where KIDS’ CBC and local CBC personalities will also be on-site for a meet-and-greet! #CBCHelps   #CBCTurkeyDrive

  For more details on the local charity drives, please visit   http://www.cbc.ca/holidayguide/charity-drives  

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  About CBC/Radio-Canada

  CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on   new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions,   CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight aboriginal languages.

  A space for us all   is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future   generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest   quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.

  For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the   CBC Media Centre   at   cbc.ca/mediacentre   . Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.

  For further information, please contact:

  Nicola Makoway, publicist, CBC

  nicola.makoway@cbc.ca   416-205-7673 (office) 416-526-7626 (mobile)

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