The Rooms announces $250,000 corporate sponsorship from BMO Financial Group

Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, along with Dean Brinton, CEO, The Rooms Corporation, and Mr. Fran�ois Hudon, Senior Vice President, Atlantic Canada, BMO Bank of Montreal, today announced BMO Financial Group as The Rooms first, long-term corporate sponsor. BMO Financial group will donate $250,000 over the next three years towards education and outreach programming.

"This government has invested significantly in The Rooms, one of the most unique and exciting cultural institutions in Canada," stated Minister Hedderson. "We are simply delighted that BMO Financial Group recognizes the value of this important facility and will be joining us as we continue to move forward with our goal of making The Rooms accessible to all residents of this province."

Mr. Hudon added, "On June 8, 2005, we, at BMO, announced our sponsorship for the official opening celebrations of this unique state-of-the-art facility. Over the coming years, and together with the highly skilled and committed professionals at The Rooms, we can more fully open the doors of The Rooms to the entire province."

Since its opening on June 29, 2005, The Rooms has welcomed approximately 100,000 visitors from across the province, the country and the globe; offered free admission for 2,000 children through organized school visits; welcomed, in total, 9,000 school-aged children to the facility through tours with youth groups and programs, and offered free admission to tens of thousands of visitors through its free admission days.

"In addition to making The Rooms accessible for education related activities, we have also unveiled several virtual exhibits, based on The Rooms collections, that can be accessed by people from around the province, and around the world" said Mr. Brinton. "Recently, The Rooms Provincial Archives launched the Women in Sport digital exhibit, which documents, through audio clips and photographs, the lives and experiences of pioneering women athletes who made sporting the mainstream in this province, when it wasn�t fashionable to do so."

Mr. Brinton added that The Rooms Provincial Museum, in conjunction with the Innu Nation and Canadian Heritage, has also launched the Tipatshimuna: Innu Stories from the Land web site which documents Innu language for future generations and recently won a Canadian Museum�s Association award. He also stated that The Rooms were currently working with the Department of Education, through the Cultural Connections program, to develop The Virtual Rooms, a learning based web site filled with learning objects and resources, based on The Rooms collections, which teachers can access for enhanced teaching and learning. In addition, The Rooms hosted the first The Arts Work Conference, in conjunction with the Department of Education, for arts educators across the province.

"We are very proud of the work we have done thus far," said Mr. Brinton. "However, with BMO�s donation, we can embark upon many more activities."

The majority of the $250,000 will be utilized for a travelling edu-kit progam, a series of stand-alone kits focusing on topics relevant to The Rooms collections and linked to curriculum, which will put relevant information in the hands of teachers across the province to enhance teaching and learning.

"Travelling edu-kits are stand alone kits, more like mini-exhibits, which will contain quizzes and activities and such to be used along with reproductions and artefacts based on The Rooms collections," explained Mr. Brinton. "The edu-kits will bring our culture and heritage to every school in the province. Imagine the possibilities when a teacher has a travelling edu-kit combined with the virtual Rooms website."

Funds will also be allocated to coordination of a lecture and workshop series, utilizing local artists, historians, performers, etc. to provide workshops, related to The Rooms related topics, in local schools, community centers and other public spaces. The remaining funds will be used to enhance The Rooms web site to make it more robust, interactive and full of learning resources.

"The support of an organization such as BMO speaks to the community�s recognition of The Rooms and the role it plays in preserving and supporting the province�s arts and heritage for generations to come," added the minister. "I thank BMO for being the first corporate partner to come on side and I hope they are the first of many. I urge the business community to join BMO in supporting this incredible facility and educational resource."

Since its founding in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group has supported the principles of community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves. In 2005, BMO Financial Group contributed $29.5 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events in Canada, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations across the country. BMO was also named Canada's Best Corporate Citizen for 2005 by Corporate Knights. BMO Bank of Montreal operates 23 branches in Newfoundland and Labrador and BMO Nesbitt Burns has two offices in the province.

For more information regarding The Rooms, please visit www.therooms.ca.

Media contact:
Susanne Hiller, TCR, (709) 729-0928, 728-7762
Deanne Hayward, The Rooms, (709) 757-8070, 691-5681
Ronald Monet, BMO Financial Group, (514) 594-2501, Ronald.Monet@bmo.com

2006 05 25                                       9:30 a.m.