Village Gamer

Canadian children are invited to get in the holiday spirit by showcasing their artistic talents to help children worldwide by entering the Pier 1 Imports /Owlkids/UNICEF Greeting Card Contest. Children ages 14 and under can draw, paint or colour a picture illustrating this year’s “Peace on Earth” theme to win exciting prizes and have their design featured as UNICEF’s official 2012 greeting card. Read the rest of this entry »

Parks Canada and the Cineplex network are joining forces on Sunday November 13th for an outstanding screening on two of the most beautiful, overlooked national parks in Canada: Tuktut Nogait, a park located north of the Arctic Circle inhabited by a population of caribou, and Pukaskwa, a park of mesmerizing beauty on the shores of Lake Superior.

The wide-screen projection of these two short films by Oasis HD will be accompanied by an online exchange session on Twitter between spectators in the theatre and Parks Canada specialists. The films are in English, but this exchange can be carried out in the preferred official language of the participants. Read the rest of this entry »

In the last twenty-­-four hours Producer David Cormican and Director James Cooper launched a crowd-­-funding campaign through Kickstarter for their short film ‘Elijah the Prophet‘.  The script was penned by Zachary and Jesse Herrmann of Brooklyn, New York, and beat out over 500 other worldwide entries to take the grand prize for the 2010/11 Canadian Short Screenplay Competition. Read the rest of this entry »

First Nations youth invite you to meet them and discover their new films during the first international Wapikoni Mobile, launching on October 14th. The Anishnabe, Innu, Atikamekw and Cree worlds will be honored this year, as well as those of indigenous communities of Bolivia, Chile and Peru, where the Wapikoni Mobile has recently extended its activities. Read the rest of this entry »

154 public school libraries across Canada will get a fresh start this school year with 32,500 new books that will be purchased with $391,000 raised through Indigo’s annual Adopt a School campaign. From September 11^th to October 1^st, Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada “adopted” public schools in their communities from Victoria to St. John’s. Through in-store events, online donations and special edition Indigo e-gift cards, the 2011 Adopt a School campaign surpassed last year’s donations by 21%. Read the rest of this entry »

Calgary’s Nexen Inc. has announced that at high noon on Wednesday, September 28th, staff will attempt to break the Guinness Record for the “World’s Largest Gathering of People Dressed As Superman.” The record-breaking attempt, which will be held at the Nexen Lobby and Century Gardens, will kick off the Nexen 2011 United Way “Be a Superhero” campaign in heroic style by bringing together 289 or more Nexen employees dressed as Superman. Read the rest of this entry »

Achievers (formerly I Love Rewards) has announced today that it concluded its Annual Customer Experience event (ACE) by sending a team to walk in the Shoppers Drug Mart® Weekend to End Women’s Cancers™, a fundraiser in support of Princess Margaret Hospital, one of the top five cancer research centers in the world. Every year, Achievers selects a cause to support as part of the customer conference. This year’s cause was cancer research. Read the rest of this entry »

You are invited to join The Children’s Wish Foundation on Wednesday, September 21^st when ten prominent members of local business, political, entertainment, and community groups will become castaways and be banished to ‘Exile Island’ in an effort to raise funds for The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. The event challenges participants to raise $10,000 each (the average cost of one wish), as well as prepare for banishment to ‘Exile Island’, aka the Vancouver Art Gallery, which is located at 750 Hornby Street. Castaways participate in a day of mental, physical and creative challenges as they compete for the title of “British Columbia’s Ultimate Survivor”. Read the rest of this entry »

If your racecar has sped away from your Monopoly board or you’re embarrassed about the sorry state of your Sorry! game, then Hasbro’s Great Games Trade-In Event is the perfect solution to revive your board games and your Family Game Night experience.

This fall, Hasbro Canada Corporation has teamed up with Toys”R”Us locations across Canada to help families responsibly dispose of their old, worn-out games. Toys”R”Us is offering exceptional savings to replace these old games with new refreshed editions of Hasbro games, to bring an extra dose of fun to all Family Game Night gatherings. At the same time, consumers will also be contributing to a great cause. Read the rest of this entry »

Just as the film festival draws celebrities and influencers from around the world to the streets of Toronto, NKPR’s popular gifting suite, the IT Lounge, is kicking off with a renewed focus on the global and local reach of its initiatives and charitable campaigns.

This year’s IT Lounge, held from September 8 to 14, connects diverse brands such as Canada’s RW&CO and Italy’s Coccinelle to raise funds and awareness not only for international charity partner Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), but locally for Camp Oochigeas, where children with cancer rediscover the magic of childhood.

Founded by Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Paul Haggis, APJ is improving the lives of Haitian children by supporting an education model that will give thousands access to schooling, as well as hot meals, clean water and medical care. The APJ board includes Hollywood heavy-hitters such as James Franco, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Olivia Wilde, Gerard Butler, Josh Brolin, Diane Lane, Charlize Theron and Maria Bello.

IT Lounge doesn’t overlook those who need support close to home, with participating brands also donating to local charity Camp Oochigeas – a privately funded, volunteer-based organization that provides kids with cancer and kids affected by childhood cancer with a unique opportunity for growth through challenging, fun, enriching and magical experiences.

Though Natasha Koifman, president and founder of NKPR Inc., is quick to admit the film festival is her favourite time of year, it’s not just because of red carpet calls and gala events. “Working with our partners to raise funds and awareness for a number of different causes gives us a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of children and their families on both a global and local scale.”

Located in the heart of the cinematic action at 312 Adelaide Street West, NKPR headquarters will once again transform into a can’t-miss pop-up shop loaded with star-worthy finds that all give back. Don’t miss out on the always fun and functional IT Lounge media centre, this year created by interior designer and décor expert Karen Sealy, owner of Sealy Design Inc., featuring HD LG Optimus Pads provided by Rogers.

This year feature brands include a wide range of global and local faves such as RW&CO., Fila, Coccinelle, Stila Cosmetics, Ardell Lashes, Goody, Simply You Jewelry, Kobo, G.M. Collin skin care, House of Marley, Stratusphere Living, ConScent/Parental ConScent, Baker Street, FIJI Water, SKYY Vodka.

Previous guests of the IT Lounge include Edward Norton, Catherine Deneuve, Fefe Dobson, Queen Latifah, Tim Robbins, Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Ryan Gosling.

In addition to hosting the IT Lounge (September 8 to 14), NKPR will be at the helm of key festival events uptown, downtown and all over town, including:

• September 9 and 10: TORO After Dark Lounge, at Ame (19 Mercer St.). TORO After Dark will celebrate Artists For Peace and Justice on September 9, with a fundraiser hosted by Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis, with Jon Hamm and George Stroumboulopoulos. On September 10, A-listers and industry insiders will enjoy fresh festival programming at the late-night lounge.

• September 10: Artists for Peace and Justice Academy Lunch. Located at a private estate in the Annex, this intimate backyard lunch will raise funds for the APJ Academy for children in Haiti. The event will feature special guest performances by Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire).

• September 10: HELLO! Canada Red Carpet & Gala. Canada’s only celebrity news magazine commemorates five glamourous years with a celebration of the greatest Hollywood style icons featured in HELLO! Canada at an invitation-only cocktail reception at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton.

NKPR will also spread social good using social media. The agency will donate $2 to APJ and to Camp Oochigeas – with proceeds split equally – for every new Twitter follower received between August 25 and September 14. Follow NKPR at natashankpr on Twitter to make your contribution to the campaign.

“Through the generosity of the brands who’ve participated in the IT Lounge over the past three years, and previous Artists for Peace and Justice fundraising events held during the film festival, we’ve been able to help make a difference in the lives of children around the world,” says Koifman, who also serves as Chair of the APJ Canada Board and as Advisory Board Member for Camp Oochigeas. “Mobilizing our social media community to help spread awareness for our causes is a natural evolution in our fundraising efforts.”

NKPR has helped raise more than $200,000 to both local and global charities through the IT Lounge, fundraising events, and online charitable campaigns like their “Follow For A Cause” initiative.

Be sure to visit NKPR’s all-film-festival, all-the-time microsite which will track fundraising efforts, feature daily contests, the latest news from the red carpets, exclusive IT Lounge images and updates from NKPR’s social networks.