2011 walk-a-thon recipient Amnesty International celebrating their 50th year
Toronto, ON - On September 18th, thousands of Tamil Canadians and their friends will join the 2011 Tamil Canadian walk-a-thon in support of Amnesty International, a worldwide movement of people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. In the past, the Walk-a-thon has drawn hundreds of walkers, donors, community associations, business groups and community leaders from the Tamil Canadian community and friends, raising $42,000 for the Sick Kids Foundation in 2009 and $35,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society in 2010.
This year, the 5-kilometer walk will take place on September 18, starting at 9 a.m. from Thomson Memorial Park, Scarborough, ending with a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate Amnesty's 50th anniversary. All proceeds from the Walk-a-thon will go directly to Amnesty International.
"There has been a significant amount of interest in this year's walk", said Sarujan Kanapathipillai, spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress. "Many within the Tamil Canadian community have been touched by Amnesty's continued efforts calling for an investigation into human rights violations in Sri Lanka and want to give back".
Amnesty International, founded by British lawyer Peter Benenson in 1961, is a worldwide movement with the mission “to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated”. This organization enables ordinary people to come together to help those who are voiceless, striving to live with dignity, safety and freedom. Some of their many campaigns include Demand Dignity, Abolish the Death Penalty, Stop Violence against Women, Security with Human Rights, Control Arms and Demanding the “three Freedoms” for Myanmar.
"The energy at these walks is amazing", said Vani Selvarajah of the CTC Board of Directors, "It is inspiring to see youth groups, seniors groups, families, circles of friends and such come together to support great causes. We are proud to join other Canadian Tamil organizations in creating a legacy of volunteerism and philanthropy in this community".
Walk-a-thon Details
Time: 8:30 am, Sunday, September 18th, 2011
Location: Thomson Memorial Park, Scarborough, ON
Highlights: Speeches by community leaders, cake cutting to celebrate Amnesty's 50th birthday.
For media inquiries, please contact Sarujan Kanapathipillai at 647.997.7278, David Poopalapillai at 905.781.7034 at , Canadian Tamil Congress at 416.240.0078, and visit www.amnesty.ca/walkforrights
ABOUT THE CANADIAN TAMIL CONGRESS
The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) is a non-profit organization that serves as a voice of advocacy for Tamil Canadians. Started in 2000 and headquartered in Toronto, CTC has chapters across the country and an elected board of directors. CTC is a non-partisan organization that believes in upholding Canadian values of multiculturalism, religious and cultural diversity, gender equality, human rights, pluralism and volunteerism.
