Canada Speaks Up - Introducing the 2011 Aviva Community Fund Semi-Finalists

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Toronto, ON – December 2, 2011 – After over nine weeks of submitting ideas and voting, Canadians have chosen their favourite ideas as Aviva Community Fund semi-finalists. The competition – created by home and auto insurer Aviva Canada – is offering $1,000,000 in donations to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country. 

Canadians have submitted over 1,500 ideas and cast over one and a half million votes for projects and worthy causes that will improve communities across the country. The semi-finalists will again attempt to capture the hearts and the votes of Canadians, with the top 30 becoming finalists for the community funding. 

However, every idea can be a winner. Starting today, ideas with associated charities that are not moving on to the semi-finals will have their “vote now” button replaced with a “donate now” button. These ideas can continue to leverage AvivaCommunityFund.org to collect donations from supporters. Benevity (www.benevity.org), a software company that helps businesses build more engaging cause marketing, community investment, workplace giving and other charitable programs is providing the donation processing and tax receipting functionality.

Starting December 5, voters are encouraged to visit www.AvivaCommunityFund.org to support their favourite semi-finalist ideasuntil December 16, 2011. Finalists and winners will be announced December 20, 2011 and January 25, 2012, respectively.

Aviva Canada congratulates the semi-finalists, listed below by province:

National

• Scouts Canada's National, No One Left Behind Program
   

British Columbia

• Youth-At-Risk: It's Tough to be a Teen (Abbotsford)

• Kitchen Equipment to Help Feed Bodies and Souls (Kamloops)

• Pavilion Theatre Renovation (Kamloops)

• Helping Along The Human - Animal Bond (Mission)

• Nelson Public Outdoor Skatepark (Nelson)

• Coastal Inclusion (Sechelt

• Bear Rescue Facility (Smithers)

• A Better Life Dog Rescue (Surrey)

• Every Child Deserves Support (Vancouver)

• Homework Club: Helping Inner-City Students Succeed (Vancouver

• Replacement School Playground for Sir James Douglas School (Vancouver)

• SOBC - North Shore...Everyone Can Participate, Everyone Can Win! (Vancouver)

• VOKRA's Feline Trap, Neuter, Return Program (Vancouver)

• Rebuild Camp Hurlburt (Vernon)
   

Northwest Territories

• Children's First Centre (Inuvik)

Alberta

• Barrhead Animal Rescue Society (Barrhead)

• Courtyard Classroom (Edmonton)

• Giving Elf - Teaching kids to give! (Edmonton)

• Spay and Neuter Program for the Pets of Low Income Families (Edmonton)

• Help send the 577 Air Cadets to Vimy Ridge (Grande Prairie)

• G.S. Lakie Convertible Theatre/ Summer Arts Institute (Lethbridge)

• Rescue for Life - First Nation's Spay/Neuter Initiatives (Spruce Grove)

• Stony Plain Health & Wellness Park (Stony Plain)
   

Nunavut

• Help Us Build Nunavut's First Animal Shelter (Iqaluit)
   

Saskatchewan

• Save Our Pool (Grenfell)

• Yorkton Skateboard, Bike and Walking Park (Yorkton)
   

Manitoba

• Community Resource Center Renovations (Beausejour)

• Help D'Arcy's A.R.C. Animal Rescue Centre (Winnipeg)
   

 Ontario

• Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Green Dream (Brampton)

• Brockville & Thousand Islands Regional Seats @ Meets! (Brockville)

• Auditorium Renewal - Take a Seat Campaign (Burlington)

• Cameron Street Public School's Yard Revitalization (Collingwood)

• Second Chance Pet Network Build a Shelter Campaign (Dryden)

• St. Joseph's Villa / SIM Gym -- What if? One Day... (Dundas)

• Kate's Kause Accessible Playground (Elmira)

• Connecting Our Community: Essex to Amherstburg Greenway Trail (Essex)

• Jordan Fawcett Memorial Award (Flesherton)

• Become a Part of the Dream (Gananoque)

• St. John School's Field of Dreams (Guelph)

• Be-You-tiful Girls Club - Love & Believe In Me Campaign (Hamilton)

• Head Strong (Kitchener)

• The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place (Leamington)

• Play structures to celebrate school 70th anniversary (Manotick)

• New MHES Kindergarten Play Yard (Nepean)

• A New Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Recovery (Newmarket)

• Lifelong Experiences for Adults with Developmental Disabilities! (North Bay)

• North Bay Icebreakers - A Dream Come True (North Bay)

• Food For Thought (North Bay)

• Support Our 12 years old Canadian Sports Ambassadors (Ottawa)

• Main Street Community Services "A Place Of Their Own" (Ottawa)

• Reaching Out to Canada's Multiple-Birth Community (Ottawa)

• WAPS - Renew our Grades 1-3 Yard (Ottawa)

• Pickering High School's 2nd Annual Benefit Concert (Pickering)

• Kaiden's Care Kits (Russell)

• Give Our Lions a Place to Roar! (St. Catharines)

• Raising Fish for Lake Ontario and surrounding streams (Stouffville)

• Monkeys in our Midst (Sunderland)

• Harder 4 Carter (Temiskaming Shores)

• Honoring unsung athletic heroes with a hall of fame (Timmins)

• Help us Champion the Cause of Homeless Cats (Toronto)

• THS Track Quest (Trenton)

• Building a Permanent Skate Park in a Permanent Location (Uxbridge)

• Waterford Ponds Park Bridges (Waterford)

• A New Van (Whitby)

• The Bard's Bus (All Ontario)
   

Quebec

• Baie-Comeau Shark Conservation / Protection des requins (Baie-Comeau)

• Projet FRANCIS - atteint de T.E.D. (Boucherville)

• Cascades Club: Something Special from Just About Nothing (Chelsea)

• Appart en ville (Chicoutimi)

• Cour de l'école Coeur-Immaculé-de-Marie à Montréal (Desmarchais)

• Des arbres et des jeux, là où il fera bon grandir! (Gatinaeu)

• Un beau parc pour les 4 pattes (Gatineau)

• Un terrain de jeu grandeur nature (Ste Catherine de la Jacques-Cartier)

• Accoucher de rire (Montreal)

• Complexe culturel Paradis (Rimouski)

• RIKITIK à la conquête de la FIRST ROBOTIC COMPETITION! (Rimouski)

• L'école du futur par la DidacTIC (Saint-Léonard)

• La SPCALL: Un nouveau toit pour nos petits pensionnaires! (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts)

• Maison Scout (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu)
   

New Brunswick

• Fredericton SPCA Animal Wellness Center (Fredericton)

• Saint John SPCA Animal Rescue Needs New Dog/ Cat Kennels (Saint John)

• Rescue Horses, & Empower Youth: Inspiring Positive Potential! (Sussex)
   

Prince Edward Island

• Bring Bobbi-Jo Home! (Tignish)
   

Nova Scotia

• BMX Bicycle Race Track (Eastern Passage)

• Parrsboro Sponge Park and Splash Pad (Parrsboro)
   

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp (Bishop’s Falls)

• Andy's Rainbow Park (Channel Port Aux Basques)

• Help Bridges to Hope Fight Poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John’s)

• Labrador SPCA Needs a New Animal Shelter for K-9's and Felines! (Valley-Goose Bay)
   

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada Inc. is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada, providing home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance to more than three million customers. The group has more than 3,000 employees, 30 locations, 1,700 independent broker partners and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the world’s sixth-largest insurance group. For more information visit avivacanada.com. 

Media Contact:
Glenn Cooper, Senior Manager, Public Relations
Desk: (416) 288-2685
Mobile (416) 523-3225
Glenn_cooper@avivacanada.com

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