NEW LISKEARD – Hanna Grant
TIMMINS - Left to right, Mike Kerr, IMERYS Talc, Manager of Human Resources, Don Bazeley, Board member, NEOFACS, Josée Bélanger, Director of Services Children's Mental Health, Youth Justice & Community Based Programs, NEOFACS, Aaden Kine, and Collin Devin-Laviolette.
KAPUSKASING, MATTICE, NEW LISKEARD, MATHESON, TIMMINS, IROQUOIS FALLS, COCHRANE
–Monday, June 9, 2014
Today twelve children and youth were recognized at the inaugural Children and Youth Awards Event hosted by North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS).
“The purpose for the Children and Youth Awards Event is to provide much deserved recognition, foster confidence, and assist children and youth in pursuing their ambitions and goals,” said Josée Bélanger, Director of Services with NEOFACS. “This award event offers us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of children and youth. It is an opportunity for us to show our support.”
“Today we awarded over six thousand dollars in awards, bursaries, and endowments to deserving children and youth,” said Gary Dent, Board Chair of NEOFACS.
A total of five different awards were promoted, all of which support the future goals of children and youth.
As part of the event this morning, NEOFACS also took the opportunity to wrap up the annual Children’s Mental Health campaign events. On May 5th 2014, NEOFACS launched its annual Children’s Mental Health Week (CHMW) campaign.
Throughout the month of May, NEOFACS promoted the annual CMHW campaign with many activities throughout our service area. One event that generated a lot of participation was the Colouring and Word Search Challenge. This marks the eighth year that IMERYS Talc partnered with NEOFACS for this challenge and as a result of their very generous donation, five children were recognized for their efforts and received brand new bikes.
“The generosity of IMERYS TALC and their consistent contribution to our Children’s Mental Health Week campaigns has allowed NEOFACS o purchase brand new bikes for some children and youth throughout our service area that recognize their effort in completing either the Word Search or Colouring Challenge,” said Lola Dufour, Program Manager for the Community Based and Children’s Mental Health programsfor NEOFACS.
The event(s) were hosted at the Kapuskasing, New Liskeard and Timmins NEOFACS campus locations for children and youth from Hearst, Kapuskasing, Mattice, New Liskeard, Matheson, Timmins, Iroquois Falls, and Cochrane.
Since 2007, IMERYS Talc has provided 40 children and youth with bikes.
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About IMERYS Talc
IMERYS Talc's operations supply 25 percent of the world's talc consumption. Talcs enhance performance in countless applications, including paper, paints, plastics, ceramics, personal care products, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. As a world leader in our field, we are committed to setting the standards for the talc industry in such areas as innovation, technical assistance, product quality, health safety and the environment, and ethical behaviour. Every year we produce, ship and sell in excess of 1.4 million tonnes of talc from over 30 mines and processing plants in Europe, North and Central America and Asia-Pacific. With the widest talc product range and unsurpassed applications expertise, we are the only talc producer that can meet all end-use requirements worldwide. Our mission is to create optimum value for all our stakeholders' customers, employees, shareholder and social partners by remaining he talc supplier of choice with a commitment to excellence and responsibility.
About NEOFACS
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is an integrated agency, providing services to children, youth and their families in the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming. Our client responsive programs and services are innovative, evidence-based, and designed to meet the unique needs of those we serve.
Our Agency provides Child Welfare, Children’s Mental Health, Youth Justice and Prevention programs along with a number of other programs and services. NEOFACS is a non-profit charitable organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose funding is received primarily from the Ministry of Children & Youth Services. Several other funders support programs as well.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Josée Bélanger
Director of Services, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services
Phone: 705-360-7100
Email: Josee.belanger@neofacs.org
Media Contact:
Brooke Ballantyne
Communications Coordinator, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services
Phone: 705-360-7100 ext. 5217
Email: brooke.ballantyne@neofacs.org
Imerys Talc
Michael Kerr
Manager of Human Resources
Phone: (705) 268-2208
Email: Michael.kerr@imerys.com