(TORONTO, Nov.18, 2013) – Although they had limited roofing experience, Jake and his friends agreed to his landlord’s request to replace the shingles on the roof of the house they lived in. While setting the last shingle, Jake stood up too quickly from a squatting position, became dizzy and fell from the edge of the roof. Jake is now a quadriplegic. On Nov. 28, Jake will share his story with students at Pine Ridge Secondary 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 youth 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 Jake, 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.

Visit http://www.parachutecanada.org/programs/item/no-regrets-live to see a two-minute trailer for the show.

Parachute has partnered with Safe Communities of Pickering/Ajax to deliver life-saving programming to several schools in the area.

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 solutions, knowledge mobilization, public policy, and social awareness efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while achieving Parachute’s vision of an injury-free Canada where Canadians enjoy long lives lived to the fullest.

For more information, visit www.parachutecanada.org.

Contact

Media are welcome to attend the show at Pine Ridge Secondary School, 2155 Liverpool Road North, Pickering, Ont., L1X 1V4, on Nov. 28, at 8:30am or 9:55 am and/or to speak with Jake Lawless.

To arrange interviews or to attend the show, please email Emily Driscoll, Coordinator, Youth Programs or call her at at 647-776-5118.