Media Releases

WA WA Shriners

(Information about Shriners & our Hospitals)

Source : WA WA Public Relations

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release – May 5, 2008

Attention: Editors, News Directors, Community Directors

THE CIRCUS IS COMING

            This month Saskatchewan families will hear those stirring words proclaimed by the Ringmaster…..”Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages welcome to the 2008 edition of the WA WA Shrine Circus.” This will be the 55th edition of the WA WA Shrine Circus brought to the children of all ages in Saskatchewan.

Date                    Location             Venue            Shows                Times

May 15                North Battleford            Civic Arena       2                    4:15, 7:30

May 16                 Saskatoon           Prairieland Park            2                   4:15, 7:30

May 17                 Saskatoon            Prairieland Park            3               11, 2:30, 5:30

May 18                 Saskatoon            Prairieland Park                1                     2:00

May 21                 Yorkton             Gallagher Centre           3              10:30, 4:15, 7:30

May 23                  Regina              Albert & Dewdney         2                   4:15, 7:30

May 24                  Regina            Albert & Dewdney          3                   12, 4,7:30

May 25                  Regina               Albert & Dewdney)         1                       2:00

May 27                  Estevan           Civic Auditorium            3                9:30, 1, 7:30

May 29                 Swift Current     Civic Centre                    2                  4:15, 7:30

May 31                 Moose Jaw        Civic Centre                    3                10:30, 2, 7

June 1                   Moose Jaw             Civic Centre            1                      2:00

Note: The Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw shows will be in the big colourful tent.

Again circus producer extraordinaire Tarzan Zerbini has assembled an outstanding cast of performers. Here is just a sample of some of this year’s acts:

Electrifying Acrobats performing mid-air maneuvering…an energetic and exciting exhibition.

The return of PIOLITA, one of the world’s wackiest clowns.

It’s a Small World – a little horsing around with our four0legged friends.

Astounding Aerial Artistry featuring awesome actions and daring dexterity.

The Wheel of Destiny – defying all laws of gravity.

A Juggling Jubilee – a masterful manipulator of the mundane.

Ponderous Performing Pachyderms. These Mighty Magnificent Mastodons, in an awe-inspiring performance are perennial circus favourites.

and much more….

So come out one and all and join our circus for a day? Be a part of all the family fun and excitement, you’ll love it!

The only thing remaining is to say, “On with the show!”

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For more information about the                                                        For more information about

WA WA Shrine Circus                                                                         WA WA Shriners of Saskatchewan

Contact Bill Forrest                                                                             Contact Don McDougall

Circus Chairman                                                                                 PR Chairman

billforrest@wawashriners.org                                                          donmcdougall@wawashriners.org

Media Release

Shriners Hospitals for Children (Canada)

Gets Official Go Ahead for Construction

MONTREAL, Thursday, April 17, 2008 – This morning, Mr. Gary Morrison, Chairman of the

Board of Governors, Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) – Canada announced that the Joint

Boards responsible for Shriners Hospitals for Children throughout North America have approved

the construction of a new SHC facility. This facility will be built on the dedicated 5 acres located

at the southwest corner of the McGill University Health Centre’s (MUHC) Glen Campus in

Montreal.

The Joint Boards are comprised of the two boards that govern both the Shriners fraternity and the

Shriners Hospital for Children system of 22 hospitals. This formal decision was moved during a

regular quarterly meeting of the Joint Boards based on a unanimous recommendation of the

Planning Committee that has been working on the file since last July. It shows the support of

Shriners leadership for the project.

“This is a tremendous step and we are very excited about moving forward”, comments Mr.

Morrison. He goes on to say “we will ensure that the new facility will be defined by the necessary

specifications to correspond to our vision and the needs of our patients”.

The Hospital is grateful for the continued support it has received from patients and their families,

the public, the Friends of the Shriners, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), McGill

University, the Government of Quebec, and the City of Montreal.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada

SHC-Canada is a bilingual, short term, acute care centre providing elective pediatric orthopedic

health care. The role of the Shriners Hospitals is to promote health and to provide treatment and

rehabilitation to children with orthopedic and neuromuscular problems. The Hospital is

committed to excellence and innovation in clinical practice, research and education and to

providing a caring environment to families. The Shriners Hospital is affiliated with McGill

University and provides for clinical experience and teaching for residents and allied

professionals.

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Source :

Guylaine Ouellet, Public Relations Manager

514-282-6990 gfouellet@shrinenet.org

For Immediate Release – April 7, 2008

Attention: Editors, News Directors, Community Relations Directors

Walking Tall

Basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming…you name it — Jensen loves them all. And thanks to Shriners Hospitals for Children, this active girl can now enjoy her favorite activities even more.

Jensen was born six weeks premature and spent weeks in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit before she was strong enough to go home. At 14 months, her parents were excited as she began to walk. But, her family noticed something wasn’t quite right: she was walking on the tips of her toes. A trip to the doctor revealed Jensen had been born with spastic diplegia, a type of cerebral palsy that causes tightness of the muscles in the hips and legs—often resulting in difficulty walking.

The news hit the family hard. They were worried about what the future held for young Jensen and were unsure where to turn for help. For years, the family visited doctor after doctor in attempts to help Jensen walk more normally, but the results were not what they had hoped. Eight years later, Jensen still walked on her toes. The time had come to explore other options. Her mother, Heather, turned to Shriners Hospitals for Children for assistance. Jensen was accepted for care and received several treatments before finally undergoing surgery on her heel.

Four weeks after the operation and less than a year after treatment had begun at the Shriners Hospital, Jensen's condition had improved dramatically. “Her foot has healed very nicely, and she is walking great!” her mother said. “We are so thankful for Shriners Hospitals for Children."

Soon, Jensen will enter middle school where she can walk with confidence and engage in all the sports and activities she loves…knowing nothing will hold her back.

The Shriners of North America is a fraternity of members who are represented in Saskatchewan by WA WA Shriners which is just one of the 191 temples (chapters) in Canada, U.S., Mexico and the Republic of Panama. Shriners philanthropy is the Shriners Hospitals for Children which is a recognized charity. This network of 22 hospitals serves children who need specialized treatments for orthopaedic, spinal cord, burns and cleft lip and palate conditions. The Shriners rely on the generosity of supporters, past and present to provide the necessary resources to care for children every day through treatment, research and education. If you know of a child that needs assistance, or would like to support this important work, please contact a Shriner or call Toll free at 1-866-699-9292(wawa).

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For Immediate Release – April 1, 2008

Attention: Editors, News Directors, Community Relations Directors

Shrine Patient Ambassador a Shining Example

   "It is my belief that the major problem in the world is the lowering of expectations," says 12-year-old Tampa Shriners patient Benjamin Carpenter. "Today, we reward people for 'trying' instead of 'doing'. The most obvious example of this is with education. If a student tries and fails, the student is still rewarded for the effort. Short term, this seems like a good idea, but does it really help the student? My answer is no, because once the student becomes an adult and enters the real world, results are what matters."
    This drive for results has paid big dividends for Benjamin. He has gotten straight A's on all report cards since he's been in school. Twice he finished in first place in his school's Accelerated Reader program. He was selected "AAA School Safety Patrolman of the Year" for the Southeast Region, and finished second in the Hillsborough County Science Fair. Benjamin has never missed a day of school and received a Chair Scholars Scholarship, which will pay for tuition and books for any 4-year college or university in the state of Florida.
    What makes Benjamin's accomplishments all the more remarkable is that he uses a wheelchair for mobility. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a degenerative genetic nerve disease that does not allow his muscles to receive all the messages that the brain sends to them. "Many people have the misconception that people in wheelchairs are automatically not only physically handicapped, but also mentally challenged. Sometimes I think I do so well in school because I have to show that my wheelchair is not attached to my brain. My advice to people with disabilities is to not let what people say or think get you down. What matters is what is in your mind and heart."
    Benjamin's tremendous heart is displayed in all that he does. He is already making life better for other people. As a Tampa Shriners Hospital patient ambassador, Benjamin recently presented the hospital with a $1,000 cheque, a grant that he won through Nestle. Benjamin beamed as he said, "One of the things I am most proud of is getting to help other Shriners patients. It is my way of saying thank you for all that Shriners do."

The Shriners of North America is a fraternity of members who are represented in Saskatchewan by WA WA Shriners which is just one of the 191 temples (chapters) in Canada, U.S., Mexico and the Republic of Panama. Shriners philanthropy is the Shriners Hospitals for Children which is a network of 22 hospitals serving children who need specialized treatments for orthopaedic, spinal cord, burns and cleft lip and palet conditions. The Shriners rely on the generosity of supporters, past and present to provide the necessary resources to care for children every day through treatment, research and education. If you know of a child that needs assistance please contact a Shriner or call Toll free at 1-866-699-9292(wawa).

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For more information on the WA WA Shriners, please contact:

Don McDougall

WA WA Shriners

Toll Free 1-866-699-9292(wawa)

donmcdougall@wawashriners.org

Saskatchewan Shriners

Elect Provincial Executive for 2008

2008 Potentate

On January 19, 2008, WA WA Shriners elected Richard Brown as Provincial President (Potentate) for 2008. Richard has been a Shriner for 31 years and became involved in the provincial governance of WA WA Shriners in 2001. Serving on the provincial executive are Dave Fairlie, Saskatoon; Don McDougall, Regina; Bevin Leipert, Moose Jaw; John Clarke, Fort Qu’Appelle; Mel Douglas, Doug Osborne, Bill Forrest, Ken Eskdale and Don Kellington, all of Regina.

Shriners are a group of men, from all walks of life, who wish to contribute to society by assisting children who are severely burned, suffer spinal cord injuries, have orthopaedic or cleft pallet and lip conditions. The Shrine’s official philanthropy is Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide, free of charge, expert specialized care to children under 18 years of age. WA WA Shriners are currently supporting 97 children from Saskatchewan who attend various Shriners Hospitals for Children. These trips, costing in excess of $125,000.00 each year, are provided free of charge to the families through donations made by individual Shriners, Shrine Clubs and members of the public to the WA WA Shrine Patient Transportation Fund, a registered Canadian charity.

There are 17 Shrine Clubs in Saskatchewan, with a membership of 1100. Inquiries regarding membership or further information about the Shrine and its work are welcomed. Please telephone toll free, 1-866-699-WAWA (9292), or visit our website www.wawashriners.org.

MEDIA RELEASE

Contact: Don McDougall

WA WA Shriners Toll free 1-866-699-WAWA (9292) or 569-2294

donmcdougall@wawashriners.org