October 27, 1998
(Environment and Labour)

Oliver Langdon, Minister of Environment and Labour, presented cheques to six non-profit organizations today on behalf of the provincial government Interdepartmental Recycling Committee. The funds were raised through the paper recycling activities of provincial government employees in various buildings.

This year, each organization will receive a cheque for $500. The organizations receiving the donations are the Rainbow Riders, a program for individuals with special disabilities; the Parkinsons Foundation of Canada; the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador; the St. John's School Lunch Association; the Gathering Place, a community service centre which provides a day time hospitality centre and other support services for the needy; and the Kids Help Foundation.

The Interdepartmental Recycling Committee was established in 1993 and is made up of representatives from various government departments. The purpose of the committee is to organize and promote recycling at government facilities.

The presentations were made at a ceremony at the Confederation Building, West Block at 2:00 p.m. Minister Langdon commended the members of the Interdepartmental Recycling Committee for their hard work and dedication to this recycling initiative. He also congratulated all provincial government employees who participate in this program.

Media contact: Sean Kelly, Director of Communications, (709) 729-2575.

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BACKGROUNDER

The Interdepartmental Recycling Committee was established in 1993 and is made up of representatives from the various departments at the Confederation Building and other provincial government buildings in the City of St. John's. The purpose of the committee is to organize and promote the recycling programs at these facilities and to look at the possibilities for promotion to other government areas across the province.

For the last four years, funds have been raised through the sale of recycled products to Nova Recycling. Each year, the Interdepartmental Recycling Committee, together with (on a rotating basis) the Minister of Works, Services and Transportation or the Minister of Environment has made presentations to organizations on behalf of the employees of Confederation Building and other buildings in the city who have participated in the recycling programs.

In 1993, a donation was made to the Grace Hospital, Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit in the amount of $2,300. In 1994, another cheque in the amount of $3,700 was presented to the Grace Neo-Natal Unit in support of equipment purchases.

In 1995, a donation in the amount of $6,700 was made to the Children's Wish Foundation. This money was used to grant several severely ill Newfoundland and Labrador children a special wish.

In 1996, a record amount of $8,000 was raised though the recycling program and six separate donations were made. $2,000 was donated to the Newfoundland Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation during their fund raising telethon in November 1996; $2,000 was donated to the Children's Wish Foundation; $1,000 was donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association; $1,000 was donated to the Community Food Sharing Association; $1,000 was donated to the Iris Kirby House; and $1,000 was donated to the Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.

For 1997-1998, six charities will be receiving proceeds. The charities are:-

The RAINBOW RIDERS program is a horse riding progrm for individuals with special disabilities. The program operates year-round and is comprised of both a riding program and a summer riding camp. The association is closely associated with the Children's Rehabilitation Foundation as many of its participates originate with that organization. The riding activity complements the formal physiotherapy programs of those with special disabilities but it is done in an atmosphere of fun and receration.

PARKINSONS FOUNDATION OF CANADA - NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR CHAPTER. The Parkinsons Foundation of Canada consists of a network of more than 100 chapters and support groups across Canada which provides patient services and caregiver support. Each chapter and the foundation work together to raise public awareness of Parkinsons. The foundation is the only national charitable organization dedicated to raising funds for research into the cause, treatment, and ultimate cure for Parkinsons. Annual grants are made by the foundation to movement disorder clinics to support education and counselling for Parkinson patients and caregivers. We are fortunate to have a Movement Disorder Clinic at the Health Science Centre in St. John's.

HEART & STROKE FOUNDATION OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR is a registered charitable organization which has been in existence in Newfoundland and Labrador for the past 35 years. The foundation's mandate is to reduce incidence of premature cardiovascular and cerebrovascular death through research, health promotion and lifestyle modification. Some of the programs include, CPR and defibrillation training, Heart Smart Restaurant and Cooking Courses, funding of Memorial University researchers, and emotional support programs for heart and stroke patients and their families.

The ST. JOHN'S SCHOOL LUNCH ASSOCIATION is a non-stigmatizing program that makes it possible for students to receive a nutritious, hot lunch regardless of their ability to pay. The program serves over 120,000 meals each year to children in seven school throughout the St. John's area. Child hunger is a reality for many children attending our schools and the seven schools using the program report a noticeble increase in student attendance and attention span, and an improvement in student behaviour.

The GATHERING PLACE is a community service centre located in the old "Mercy School" on Military Road. One of the major projects of The Gathering Place is the day time hospitality centre which provides a friendly and caring environment for the needy who can gather there to share a meal, to develop supportive relationships and to explore other resources open to them. This is a venture shared by the Presentation and Mercy Sisters and the Emmaus House Food Bank. Volunteer representatives from each participating group make up the permanent staff and the rest is taken care of by a team of 100 volunteers at large. Part of the mandate at The Gathering Place is to empower people, to assist them in re-discovering their individual self worth and to suppport them in every way possible. It is intended to be an out-reach program to assist the poor of the inner city, as well as persons who are lonely and in need of companionship; and it provides a place to relax and have a cup of tea or coffee with somebody to talk to, and somebody to listen.

KIDS HELP FOUNDATION offers anonymous, confidential counselling, information and referral services on such subjects as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, suicide, alcohol and drugs, relationships and many other problems encountered by children. It offers a safe, non-threatening way for children to get help without the pressures of a face-to-face meeting. According to a national study, at least one in eight children in Canada will suffer abuse. Fourteen per cent of calls placed to Kids Help Phone deal with abusive behaviour. More than 10 per cent of the calls received originate in Newfoundland; a higher percentage when one considers our population relative to the rest of the nation.

1998 10 27                                3:30 p.m.