TORONTO, April 4, 2013 – Parachute is pleased to announce the winners of its “I ThinkFirst!” Contest. Parachute was delighted to receive more than 50 submissions from over 100 students across the country. A big congratulations goes out to: Ms. Matheson’s Grade 2 class from Manning Elementary School, Manning, Alta., for their bright and colourful paintings; to Ms. Englezos’ class from Trinity Montessori School, Markham, Ont., for their creative and insightful poems and short stories; and to Hannah Malott of the Boys and Girls Club, Sarnia/Lambton, for her creative and insightful collage. All the entries successfully portrayed the important message of staying safe while having fun. All the winning students have won brand new bicycle helmets for the spring.

With generous support from TD Bank Group, the “I ThinkFirst!” Contest launched in 2010/11 as a way to hear back from kids in the TD ThinkFirst For Kids program. This educational program provides fun, interactive lessons and activities for children in kindergarten to Grade 8 about injury prevention. The TD ThinkFirst For Kids program is available free of charge to teachers and public health workers through Parachute and can be ordered through our website.

Injury is the leading cause of death for Canadian children and youth. Researchers estimate that up to 90 percent of injuries are predictable and preventable. The “I ThinkFirst!” Contest is working to engage children and youth, and those who care about them, to reduce the risk and prevent injury.

“Parachute encourages kids to think first and prevent an injury so they can enjoy a long life, lived to the fullest”, explains Dr. Philip Groff, Vice President of Programs at Parachute. “The creativity and insights shown by this year’s contestants were remarkable, and Parachute is very pleased to reward these efforts.”

The children’s creative projects will be profiled on the Parachute website and on the Parachute Facebook page.

About Parachute

Parachute is a national, charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. Parachute officially came into being in July 2012 and unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one leader in injury prevention. Parachute’s injury prevention programming and advocacy efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while enjoying long lives lived to the fullest. For more information, visit www.parachutecanada.org

Contact

Kathy Blair, Coordinator, Media Relations and Communications, Parachute
647-776-5125
kblair@parachutecanada.org

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