TORONTO, ON -- Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC) launched a creative new public service announcement campaign today, celebrating the impact of Boys and Girls Clubs on the lives of 3 accomplished alumni.
Great Futures Start Here features 30-second vignettes about former Club members: #1 NHL draft pick Taylor Hall, #1 NBA draft pick Anthony Bennett, and award-winning child psychiatrist Dr. Jean Clinton.
The PSAs -- BGCC's first in 5 years -- illustrate how Clubs create positive opportunities for young people to dream, grow and achieve their full potential.
The national charity has a 110-year history of supporting young people's healthy development, which helped attract top creative talent to produce the videos on a shoestring budget.
"Our name recognition is high but many Canadians still don't know what Boys and Girls Clubs do," says Mathieu Chantelois, BGCC's Director of Marketing and Communications. He interviewed a score of leading agencies until BGCC found DARE Toronto. "They understood our mission and vision and came up with a brilliant creative concept. This campaign re-energizes our brand and shows people how belonging to a Club is a life-changing experience for so many youth."
"It would have been the easiest thing in the world to sit these former Boys and Girls Club members down in front of a camera and have them tell their stories, but that's been done so often," explains Paul Little, Executive Creative Director of DARE. "Instead, we imagined Hall, Bennett and Clinton as when they were children in a Boys and Girls Club and created stories around the little miracles that happen in Clubs every day."
DARE Toronto, Director David Hicks and Sons and Daughters Productions generously waived their fees on this project. Twenty young members of the Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough also contributed to the making of the PSAs by showing up very early on a cold and snowy Sunday morning in November to be extras in the PSAs filmed at the Club.
See the PSAs here:
•Great Futures - Anthony Bennett -
http://youtu.be/JBC73vCcrhg
•Great Futures - Jean Clinton -
http://youtu.be/56I5fAIYzWs
•Great Futures - Taylor Hall -
http://youtu.be/tHs0jG2IgUI
About Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada is dedicated to supporting and encouraging children and youth as they grow and develop. We are a national charity serving 200,000 young people in 650 locations across Canada. We listen to their opinions and ideas, applaud their accomplishments, lend support during their struggles and provide ways for them to explore their interests and talents. With this encouragement, young people develop the confidence and sense of belonging that helps them succeed in school, form positive relationships and mature into responsible, caring adults. For over 110, years we have welcomed children, youth and their families into clubs that reflect the diversity of Canada in small and large cities, rural communities and First Nations reserves. Visit www.bgccan.com and follow us at www.facebook.com/bgccan and www.twitter.com/bgccan.
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Contact Information
Media contact:
Susan Sullivan
Media Relations Manager
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
905-477-7272 ext. 239
ssullivan@bgccan.com