Category: In The News

TORONTO (February 8, 2017) — Brands For Canada, Canada’s most cost-efficient charity will unite hearts on Friday, February 10^th at 6:00 PM as they host the United Hearts Gala, featuring several distinguished Canadian guests and performers. The event will raise money for two Brands For Canada initiatives; the Students’ Basics Program as well as the Shelter Program. These programs focus on supporting impoverished members of Canadian society with care packages and supplies. This incredible gala will take place at the Liberty Grand in the Governor’s Ballroom.

The Brands For Canada ‘United Hearts Gala’ is destined to be one of Toronto’s largest, most glamorous charity events of 2017. With culturally diverse installations of dancing, art, music, and fashion, this gala should be on everyone’s list of not-to-be-missed events this year. Few large-scale charity events occur each year that are so inclusive to those who are looking to contribute to such a widespread cause. Confirmed distinguished guests include The Honourable Minister of Finance, Charles Sousa.

Host of the landmark event will be beloved television personality from CTV’s The Social and etalk, Traci Melchor. Traci’s career has seen her interview hundreds of the biggest stars in entertainment and as a true renaissance woman, she supports various charitable organizations and events.

“By engaging individuals, corporations and organizations in conversations about how they can make a direct impact on the lives of those in need, we are creating a service for a circular economy, as we bridge the gap between surplus production and meeting the immediate needs of communities dealing with poverty,” says Helen Harakas, Executive Director, Brands For Canada.

Brands For Canada is thrilled to have TD Bank Group continue its support of our organization as Presenting Sponsor of the United Hearts Gala and are so pleased that Sylvia Fazzolari, Vice President of Commercial Banking will be present to provide welcome remarks on behalf of TD. 

Generous sponsors include: Labatt; the after-party sponsor, Viana Roofing, Boston Scientific, Cortel Group, TACC. Development; the entertainment sponsor, and media sponsors, St. Joseph Media and Rogers Media. The principle program sponsor is P&G.

United Hearts encompasses two specific programs:

UNITED HEARTS STUDENT PROGRAM: In partnership with the Toronto District School Board; Brands For Canada delivers care packages filled with basic necessities such as new clothing, personal care items and school supplies directly to 300 schools for their students in need.

-more-

UNITED HEARTS SHELTER PROGRAM: Children, women, men, and families entering shelters will be gifted with backpacks of new, comforting items such as pajamas, slippers, toys, toothbrushes and blankets. The United Hearts program is linked to a new poverty awareness campaign directed at educating students and the public about Empathy, Gratitude and Unity for all members of the community.

GALA HIGHLIGHTS: Guests can contribute to the valuable on-going work of United Hearts by participating in a variety of events at the gala. They can bid on circulating silent auction items during the evening. Then Auctionista Layne will wow guests with her engaging style as she leads the exciting live auction. Layne is one of just three Benefit Auctioneer Specialists (BAS) graduates in Canada, and among the less than one percent of Auctioneers in North America with this specialized training. Among the big-ticket items at the live auction is a trip for four to the Torre Fiore Hotel Masseria in Basilicata, in the stunning south of Italy, donated by the FRAM Group and valued at $9,000. Whitney Linen is giving guests the opportunity to bid on a bespoke linen gown and suit, with a designer fitting at Marlon Durant Studio in Yorkville valued at $5500. Or, guests may bid on a sweet and early holiday treat from Fashion Santa, who will make sure your festive card photos are taken to the next level.

The Luxury Zone will be available for guests who want to sneak a peek at designer brand products such as shoes, bags, belts and briefcases. Pop-up art installations by Shawn Skeir in the VIP Cocktail Lounge, Award-Winning Club designer Michael Holtzman, jewellery stations and incredible Canadian food and drink from a variety of hosts, like Bar Buca’s espresso installation, are a part of what makes this event a night to remember.

Guests will also be able to purchase tickets to a wild after-party beginning at 9:30 PM. DJ Carl Allen will be spinning 70’s and 80’s music. Choreographer Esie Mensah has an afro-dance performance planned, along with other entertainment from vocalist and pianist Bianca, to Petergail Williams and Miles Raine. Samba Squad and Dance Migration will close off dinner with a sexy performance. The iPhone Lounge and Labatt’s Stella Artois installations are sure to wow all attendees.  Tickets for the gala $225 (dinner and after-party) or $75 (after-party only) are available at https://www.brandsforcanada.com/unitedhearts/

Twitter: #BeABrandForCanada                                                        Facebook: Brands For Canada

ABOUT BRANDS FOR CANADA: Brands For Canada (formerly known as Windfall Basics) was founded in 1992. We collect surplus and unsold new goods, redirect goods that would otherwise end up in landfills and distribute new goods to Canadian families. By 1996, the organization was receiving and distributing more than 9,000 pieces of clothing per month. We have over 200 brand partners consisting of leading Canadian brands, retailers and corporations. We receive more than 900,000 pieces of clothing, personal care items and housewares annually and were rated as the number one most cost-effective charity in Canada by MoneySense Magazine in 2010 and 2013. Over the last 25 years, in conjunction with our donors and social service agency distribution partners, we have helped over 1.2 million individuals, kept almost 4 million kilograms of goods out of landfills, saved Canadians in need over $420 million, donated over 420 million dollars’ worth of goods and saved 31.7 billion litres of water. www.brandsforcanada.com 

-30-

(TORONTO, Jan. 5, 2017)– The Vancouver-based financial technology company, Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (FKT:GJT) (OTC Pink:GLNNF), is pleased to announce expansion plans for the Glance Pay Mobile Payment App, a free mobile payment app designed to allow diners a fast and easy way to pay their restaurant bills on their smartphones.

After its initial launch in Vancouver on September 7, 2016, Glance Pay quickly hit the restaurant industry by storm, and it is now live in over 50 restaurants with over 130 restaurants signed, including Fable Diner , Thai House Restaurant, Tuc Craft Kitchen,  Nuba, The Oakwood, Urban Thai,  The Fountainhead Pub,  Pink Elephant , Blue Martini Jazz Café and Sai Woo. With the app buzzing in cities across British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and surrounding suburban cities, Torontonians in 2017 will soon be able to pay for their meals in seconds without the wait. Glance Pay plans to launch its first restaurant in Toronto in early 2017 having already partnered with a Toronto-based representative to handle restaurant relations for the company locally.

Negative payment experiences at the end of a meal are the Achilles’ heel of dining out for guests and restaurants alike.  But with Glance Pay this process can be as quick and easy as taking a picture.

“Glance Technologies has developed a game-changing and unique payment technology experience like no other,” says Penny Green, Glance Technologies’ Chief Operating Officer, “people already have a payment machine with them, their smartphone. With Glance Pay there will be no more waiting for servers and machines.”

Additional Glance Pay features include the ability for customers to request an electronic bill, digital expense tracking and earning exclusive restaurant rewards.

“Our app allows restaurants to offer a better dining experience to their customers. It allows them to turn tables over faster, save money, increase revenue, and be more efficient.”

Glance Pay is the brainchild of Desmond Griffin, the Co-founder of PayByPhone, the app that revolutionized the way drivers worldwide pay for parking and tolls. The app allowed drivers to turn their smartphones into their own personal parking metre with ease. Griffin expects to bring the simplicity of paying without the hassle of flagging a server or a machine down to Toronto’s restaurant industry. “Everyone has been frustrated with the payment process at restaurants at one time or another, especially at peak times when restaurants are full and servers are busy,” says Desmond Griffin, President and CEO of Glance Technologies Inc.

“Glance Pay helps eliminate long wait times and negative payment experiences. The app allows you to simply select your portion of the bill, your tip, confirm the amount and earn exclusive restaurant rewards and go. There is no need to wait for a payment card machine, and customers can pay and go on their own time. You can even email yourself the bill, enjoy digital tracking of your receipts, and manage your rewards all in one place. Glance Pay makes life so much easier for the restaurant and the customer.”

To foster Glance Pay’s growth in Toronto, Pennant Media Group will work alongside Glance Technologies to form partnerships and handle strategic media relations.

Glance Pay is the next step toward wallet-less transactions that are changing the way smartphone users interact with their favourite restaurants and make paying easy and accessible. Having experienced such a positive response in the Vancouver area, Glance Technologies is poised to expand across the Western Provinces and into Toronto and Montreal in 2017.

Glance Pay is currently available for free download in Apple’s App Store, Google Play’s Android Store or at GlancePay.com.

About Glance Technologies, Inc.
Glance Technologies was incorporated in British Columbia in 2014 and owns and operates Glance Pay, a mobile payments app for restaurants. Glance operates Glance Pay from Glance’s head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Glance’s shares commenced trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange on September 7, 2016 under the ticker symbol GET.

A Ground-Breaking Sustainability-Focused Initiative, and the First of its Kind in Canada, to Help Those Living Below Canada’s Poverty Line (Toronto, ON – November 21, 2016):

Celebrating its 25th year, Brands For Canada – Canada’s #1 cost-efficient charity, is launching their United Hearts campaign and program. This revolutionary initiative has been developed to bring awareness to the 1 in 7 Canadians living below the poverty line. “Brands For Canada’s United Hearts initiative will impact thousands of TDSB students and their families by providing them with basic essential items to help meet their needs. At the TDSB, we are committed to ensuring that every student achieves success and this initiative will help do just that,” stated Robin Pilkey, Chair, Toronto District School Board.

Brands For Canada’s new United Hearts program creates care packages of new clothing, personal care goods and other basic-needs items for students, and their families and delivers them to TDSB schools. The United Hearts care packages are purposefully created to alleviate the stress many students live with on a daily basis, so they can focus on prospering intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.

Joyce Law, Senior Communications Manager, P&G Canada said, “P&G has a longstanding commitment in giving back to the community. We are honoured to partner with Brands for Canada and the TDSB to support families in need with everyday essentials like Crest toothpaste, Ivory soap, and Gain laundry detergent.”

“By engaging individuals, corporations and organizations in conversations about how they can make a direct impact on the lives of those in need, we are creating a circular economy as we bridge the gap between surplus production and meeting the immediate needs of communities dealing with poverty,” says Helen Harakas, Executive Director, Brands For Canada.

Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, will be onsite at Brands For Canada headquarters for the public launch of the United Hearts program; a partnership among Brands For Canada, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and leading name brands from Procter & Gamble who have provided an unprecedented donation of goods to assist in launching the program. Other major brands such as, GAP, H&M, McCarthy|Beatties, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Winners, YM Inc., Bell, Rogers Uptown, Mendocino, Brooks Brothers, Moores, and William Ashley donate on a regular basis.

As the Government of Ontario works to lift our province’s most vulnerable children out of poverty and help families in their every day lives, I commend Brands For Canada for partnering with local school boards through this very important program to support children in their pursuit of their full potential.”
— The Honourable Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education

Brands For Canada to help expand their community programs, are working with United in Change, an e-commerce solution provider to develop an online portal that will engage corporations to form a sustainability-focused ecosystem where their brands can enrich the lives of communities in need of the very goods these companies have to spare, while also reducing their environmental footprint.

United Hearts encompasses two specific programs:

UNITED HEARTS STUDENT PROGRAM
In partnership with the Toronto District School Board; Brands For Canada delivers care packages filled with basic necessities such as new clothing, personal care items and school supplies directly to 600 schools for their students in need.

UNITED HEARTS SHELTER PROGRAM
Children, women, men, and families entering shelters will be gifted with backpacks of new, comforting items such as pajamas, slippers, toys, toothbrushes and blankets.
The United Hearts program is linked to a new poverty awareness campaign directed at educating students and the public about Empathy, Gratitude and Unity for all members of the community.

*The press conference will be: Monday, November 21, 2016
Time: 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Location: 3-29 Connell Court, Toronto, ON M8Z 5T7

ABOUT BRANDS FOR CANADA
Brands For Canada (formerly known as Windfall Basics) was founded in 1992. We collect surplus and unsold new goods, redirect goods that would otherwise end up in landfills and distribute new goods to Canadian families. By 1996, the organization was receiving and distributing more than 9,000 pieces of clothing per month. We have over 200 brand partners consisting of leading Canadian brands, retailers and corporations. We receive more than 900,000 pieces of clothing, personal care items and housewares annually and were rated as the number one most cost-effective charity in Canada by MoneySense Magazine in 2010 and 2013. Over the last 25 years, in conjunction with our donors and social service agency distribution partners, we have helped over 1.2 million individuals, kept almost 4 million kilograms of goods out of landfills, saved Canadians in need over $420 million, donated over 420 million dollars’ worth of goods and saved 31.7 billion litres of water. www.brandsforcanada.com

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

-30-

Karlyn Percil is one of North Americas’ leading authorities on womens’ empowerment. As a leadership coach, Elephant Storyteller and founder of the multiplatform program SisterTalk, Percil guides, motivates and inspires women to realize their full potential.

Based on the success of her program, Percil is now hosting the Third Annual SisterTalk: A Celebration of Sisterhood on Sunday, October 16 at the Thompson Hotel (550 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON). The theme this year will be focusing on “Can Women Really Get Along? Rebuilding the sisterhood through healing, connection & community.”

Percils’s SisterTalk “Authentically You” Leadership Program gives women the opportunity to increase their Leadership IQ so that they can create a life that they love. Percil, like others before her, acknowledge that truly successful people thrive in all areas of life with a strong and consistent support system, unwavering belief in who they are and a strong connection to their inner self. Percil’s leadership program empowers women to create their own circle of support thereby helping themselves and other woman on their journeys of love, happiness, fulfillment and success.

The impact of her SisterTalk program resulted in it being picked up by AfroGlobal Television. SisterTalk TV airs on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m.

Percil will also be launching “Success Essentials” this fall. A subscription box containing year-round, daily tools to aid women with goal setting and realizing their true potential.

Through her website, www.karlynpercil.com, her blog, SisterTalk program and talk show, Percil provides a platform and tools for informative, honest conversations about life, love, relationships and career.

About Karlyn Percil

Karlyn Percil was born and raised in the countryside of St. Lucia. Until she was 15-years old, Percil did her homework by candlelight. In pursuit of her early education, Percil walked 60-minutes each way to and from school.

As an early childhood survivor of sexual abuse, Percil kept this secret to herself discussing the abuse with no one, until it could be kept no longer. As an adult, Percil moved to Canada in an attempt to run away from her abusive past. In Canada, she established a successful career on Bay Street at one of the top five banks in Canada and obtained a Masters Certificate in adult education while working there. Motivated by life events, Percil committed to improve her life and those of other women. Her current life work, SisterTalk, began from disclosing the abuse. Building on her success following appearances on the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada) documentary, Life Story Project, Oprah’s Life Class, and through her work with UNICEF, Karlyn Percil, is the informational go-to resource for ambitious women who want to play bigger in life and in love.

Guided by a strong belief in herself and her unlimited potential, Percil worked hard to rise above her circumstances to realize the life she loves.

For more information, visit:
karlynpercil.com

-30-

Available for interviews:
Karlyn Percil

Los-Angeles based pop singer, Aleem, made his Canadian debut in Toronto earlier this summer.  He received a warm reception, climbing the Hot Tracks list on iTunes in Canada after the release of his first single off the LP, Find Out. Due to his talent and success, Aleem was asked to walk the runway and perform at Toronto Men’s Fashion Week [TOM*FW] held this week, August 17 – 20, 2016.

Aleem will be walking the runway for Gotstyle at the MENSFASHION4HOPE show, which will be held at Mattamy Athletic Centre, 50 Carlton Street, West at 8:00 pm on Thursday, August 18, 2016. Aleem will also be performing his first single off his debut LP Open Letters, Find Out, during the Emerging Menswear Designer Awards (EMDAs) at 10:00 pm on Saturday, August 20, 2016. After TOM*, Aleem will kick off a three city tour to close out the summer.

Aleem teamed up with renowned producers to work on his EP, including Ryan Stewart and Jon Levine, who have worked with Carly Rae Jepsen and Selena Gomez, respectively. The album contains five singles.

Born in Chicago, Aleem’s distinct and original sound comes from musical influences ranging from hip hop and jazz all the way to funk and punk music. In 2015, Aleem was the opening act for American Idol standout Joshua Ladet at the SXSW Festival. When he’s not recording music, Aleem works in partnership with Best Buddies International.

About Aleem

Aleem is a singer/songwriter whose soulful music feature memorable hooks, sparkling harmonies and inventive rhythms. His expressive voice and guitar playing combine to tell stories about love, heartbreak, joy, loneliness and self-discovery. Aleem shows musical influence from a wide range of artists, including John Mayer, The Script and Bruno Mars.

Aleem began his professional music career when he contacted Grammy Award-winning producer Craig Bauer in hopes of a potential collaboration. Impressed by Aleem’s home-recorded tracks, Bauer invited him to his studio to co-write Aleem’s debut LP, Open Letters.

For more information visit:
http://www.aleemmusic.com/

Like Aleem on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AleemMusic

Follow Aleem on Twitter:

@AleemMusic

-30-

Available for interviews:
Aleem