(TORONTO, April 17, 2013) – When Melissa Hague was only 12, her life changed in an instant. She was heading home with her mother after a shopping trip when an impaired driver smashed into their vehicle. Melissa was left paralyzed and her mother was killed. On April 19, Melissa will share her story with students at Denis Morris Catholic High School as part of the No Regrets Live presentation, a program of Parachute.

No Regrets Live is an energetic and empowering presentation designed to arm high school students with the knowledge to prevent injuries with smart thinking. The show combines clips of young people having fun taking smart risks with more sober images of the results of poor choices that led to injury. The video features famous Canadians, whose lives have been affected by injury, such as George Stroumboulopoulos. The presentation includes a live talk by someone who has experienced a preventable injury, in this case Melissa Hague, or who has been deeply affected by a preventable injury. Presenters speak candidly about how injury has affected their lives, while presenting positive choices to reduce the risk of injury: Buckle Up, Look First, Wear the Gear, Get Trained and Drive Sober. The show also features a question and answer segment. See a two-minute trailer for the show.

Support from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Healthy Communities fund has made it possible for Parachute to deliver to several area schools our life-saving shows, which were organized with the help of Niagara Public Health.

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

Media are welcome to attend the show at Denis Morris Catholic High School, 40 Glen Morris Drive, St.Catharines, Ont., tel 905-684-8731, on April 19 at 9:35 a.m. and/or to speak with Melissa Hague.

To arrange interviews or to attend the show, please contact:

Emily Driscoll, Coordinator, Youth Programs at 647-776-5118 or edriscoll@parachutecanada.org

Shenieka Russell-Metcalf, Youth Program Associate at 647-776-5106 or srussell-metcalf@parachutecanada.org

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