Canadians Prepare for a Spook-tacular Time at BMO Boo-la-thon in Support of Kids Help Phone

Thousands of BMO Employees from over 45 communities across Canada will participate in the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25. This important national event raises much needed funds to meet the growing demand for the charity's phone and web counselling services.

"With the addition of over 16 new communities from across Canada, this is an exciting year for the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone," said Mary Proulx, Vice President, Fund Development and Regional Activities at Kids Help Phone. "The event will help raise awareness and much needed funds so that more children in more communities in Canada can get the support they need. We're looking forward to welcoming families across the country to one of our many sites and we all hope to have a fantastic time."

Started as a single-location event by BMO Financial Group employees in 1991, the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone is a Halloween-themed bowling event that has grown into a popular and spook-tacular day. Last year, the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone raised $566,000 and this year the goal is to surpass last year's success.

"BMO is proud to support Kids Help Phone because we believe in the crucial work that the professional counsellors offer across Canada to children who need someone to talk to," said Sandra Hanington, Executive Vice President Product Operations and Process Simplification, BMO Financial Group and Kids Help Phone board member. "Each year, it is the BMO employees across Canada who come together to make the BMO Boo-la-thon successful and we look forward to another year of fun and fundraising!"

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    BMO Boo-la-thon for Kids Help Phone 2009 Locations:

    Province              Community                     Date

    British Columbia      Abbotsford                    Saturday, October 24
                          Kamloops                      Saturday, October 24
                          Nanaimo                       Saturday, October 24
                          Vancouver                     Saturday, October 24

    Alberta               Calgary                       Sunday, October 25
                          Edmonton                      Sunday, October 25
                          Fort McMurray                 Sunday, October 25
                          Grande Prairie                Sunday, October 25
                          Lethbridge                    Saturday, October 24
                          Medicine Hat                  Saturday, October 24
                          Red Deer                      Sunday, October 25

    Saskatchewan          Moose Jaw                     Sunday, October 25
                          Regina                        Sunday, October 25
                          Saskatoon                     Sunday, October 25

    Manitoba              Brandon                       Sunday, October 25
                          Winnipeg                      Sunday, October 25

    Ontario               Barrie                        Sunday, October 25
                          Chatham                       Saturday, October 24
                          Cornwall                      Sunday, October 25
                          Durham (Oshawa)               Sunday, October 25
                          Etobicoke                     Saturday, October 24
                          Goderich                      Sunday, October 25
                          Hamilton                      Saturday, October 24
                          Kingston                      Sunday, October 25
                          Kitchener -Waterloo           Saturday, October 24
                          London                        Sunday, October 25
                          Mississauga                   Sunday, October 25
                          Niagara                       Sunday, October 25
                          North Bay                     Saturday, October 24
                          North York                    Saturday, October 24
                          Ottawa                        Sunday, October 25
                          Quinte                        Sunday, October 25
                          Sarnia                        Saturday, October 24
                          Sault Ste. Marie              Sunday, October 25
                          Stratford                     Saturday, October 24
                          Sudbury                       Sunday, October 25
                          Thunder Bay                   Saturday, October 24
                          Toronto                       Saturday, October 24
                          Toronto
                          (Funeral Services Challenge)  Thursday, October 29
                          Windsor                       Saturday, October 24
                          York Region                   Sunday, October 25

    Quebec                Montreal                      Sunday, October 25
                          Quebec                        Saturday, October 24
                          Rimouski                      Saturday, October 24

    New Brunswick         Fredericton                   Saturday, October 24
                          Moncton                       Saturday, October 24
                          Saint John                    Saturday, October 24

    Nova Scotia           Halifax                       Saturday, October 24

    Newfoundland &
    Labrador              Corner Brook                  Sunday, October 25
                          St. John's                    Sunday, October 25
    >>

For more information about the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone taking place in your area and how you can sponsor a boo-ler or get involved, please visit www.kidshelpphone.ca/boolathon.

Kids Help Phone, a national charity serving children and youth, receives no core government or United Way funding. Instead, it relies on the support of community-based volunteers and individual and corporate donors to ensure that its counselling, information and referral services for kids can continue to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

About Kids Help Phone

This year marks Kids Help Phone's 20th Anniversary. For the past two decades, Kids Help Phone has been at the forefront in providing help and hope through its phone and web counselling services, earning the respect and trust of kids across Canada. When young people feel like there's nowhere to turn, when parents, schools and social services are unavailable, closed, backlogged or simply not accessible for any reason, Kids Help Phone is there. Young people know that when they reach out to Kids Help Phone, any time of the day or night, they'll be connected with a professional counsellor who can provide immediate, kid-friendly insight, help and direction on a wide variety of key and emerging issues.

Last year, Kids Help Phone counsellors connected with kids in almost 3,000 Canadian communities more than 2.2 million times. By continuing to reach out to kids in meaningful and innovative ways, Kids Help Phone will remain a trusted part of kids' lives for many years to come.

About BMO Financial Group

As a founding sponsor of Kids Help Phone, BMO has been supporting the critical efforts of this organization since its inception and, through BMO's extensive network of employee volunteers, provides leadership support for chapters of Kids Help Phone from coast to coast. In 2009, notable contributions to Kids Help Phone from BMO Financial Group and its employees included $300,000 raised from the BMO Presidents' Cup Golf event, $200,000 annual sponsorship for Kids Help Phone's Student Ambassador Program and last year employees raised $566,000 during the BMO Boo-la-thon in support of Kids Help Phone (bowling fundraisers) and several other local fundraising initiatives.

CNW Group is proud to be the official newswire provider for Kids Help Phone.

SOURCE: Kids Help Phone

SOURCE: BMO Financial Group

Media Contact: Virginia Middleton, Kids Help Phone, (416) 586-5437 x 8345,
virginia.middleton@kidshelpphone.ca; Kasia Lech, BMO Financial Group, (416) 867-5394,
kasia.lech@bmo.com

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