The official launch took place at Willingdon Elementary School in N.D.G and featured the presence of Impact president Joey Saputo, defender Adam Braz, as well team builder and former player Lloyd Barker.
For a second year, the All the way with the Impact tour is sponsored by the National Bank and has expanded to include other Montreal area school boards.
“The Montreal Impact is aware of the key role it can play in encouraging children to persevere and aim for excellence, both in the classroom and on the field,” said Joey Saputo. “Both our stay-in-school program and new awareness project on the right to play with UNICEF were designed to allow students to meet these objectives.”
EMSB Chair Angela Mancini applauded the initiative. “Players from the Impact serve as role models for our students,” she remarked. “Our experience over the past four years has been appreciated by everyone, from the school visits to the exciting games we attended. We can’t wait to do it all over again.”
Over the next few weeks, Barker will visit several EMSB elementary and secondary schools to discuss with kids the importance of staying in school and striving for excellence. He will also visit schools to talk about the right to play, promoting the importance of sport, play and leisure in the development of children in developing countries. Emphasis will be given to the importance of physical activity, as well as the values of respect, initiative-taking and cooperation, which are associated to play and sport.
As part of the partnership for the stay-in-school program, EMSB students have purchased tickets to the Impact’s historic CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal game against Club Santos Laguna of Mexico, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 (8 pm) at Olympic Stadium.
There will also be an EMSB Night at Saputo Stadium in Spring, at a date to be announced soon. The Impact will once again hold a special ceremony before the game, highlighting some of the most outstanding students, and bursaries will be awarded to the top students. These bursaries are named in honour of the late Tony Licursi, the longtime Impact statistician who died four years ago.
List of Impact school visits.
Thursday February 19, 2009
9:30 am
James Lyng High School (St. Henri) 5440 Notre Dame
UNICEF
Tuesday February 24
10:20 am to 11:40 am
Hampstead School, (Hampstead) 83 Thurlow
Wednesday Feb 25
12:45 pm to 2 pm
John Caboto (Ahuntsic), 8955 Meunier
Thursday Feb 26
10:15 am
Pierre Elliott Trudeau School (Rosemount) 6855 Cartier Street
Tuesday March 10, 2009
1:35 pm
Parkdale School (St. Laurent)1475 Deguire
Wednesday March 11, 2009
9:30 a,m
Honore Mercier (St. Leonard) 8280 Nantes
Thursday March 12, 2009
9:30 am to 11 am
St. Monica School (NDG), 6440 Terrebonne
UNICEF
Thursday March 19, 2009
10 am to 11:15 am
St Gabriel School (Pointe St. Charles) 600 Dublin
UNICEF
Wednesday March 25, 2009
10 am to 11:30 am
Michelangelo School (RDP) 9360 – 5th Street
UNICEF
Tuesday March 31, 2009
10 am
Pierre de Coubertin (St. Leonard), 4700 Lavoisier
UNICEF
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Contacts:
Claudia Gervais, Montreal Impact
514-328-3668 (ext. 234)
Michael J. Cohen, EMSB
514-483-7200, ext. 7243
