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Testimonials / Témoignages

2010 - Media / Médias

S’Cool Life Fund grants $450,000 to fund innovative elementary school programs in Canada

Canadian charitable organization awards record 231 grants to broaden students’ horizons through DREAMS – Drama, Recreation, Extracurricular, Arts, Music and Sports

Toronto – In celebration of S’Cool Life Fund’s fifth anniversary of giving, the organization is pleased to announce that 231 deserving elementary schools across the country have been selected to receive grants totalling a record-breaking $450,000. Year after year since 2005, S’Cool Life Fund has provided Canadian students with opportunities to fulfill a variety of exceptional DREAMS in the areas of Drama, Recreation, Extracurricular, Arts, Music and Sports.

“We received a record number of applications this year and have responded accordingly by awarding three times the number of grants as we did in 2008/2009,” said chairman, John I. Bitove. “I think the quantity of schools looking for support is a true testament to the void being left by the budget cuts that plague Canada’s public education system.”

One of the most memorable highlights from this year’s grants is a gift that will make a unique dream come true for the parents and students of Parkfield Junior School in Etobicoke, Ontario. S’Cool Life Fund is awarding the school $11,400 for the construction of a full-scale cricket pitch and necessary equipment that will facilitate a popular extracurricular activity amongst the student population. S’Cool Life Fund selected Parkfield as the recipient of this funding so that students would have an opportunity to connect with their cultural heritage through sport, participate in physical activity and establish relationships with other members of their community.

“S’Cool Life funding would not be possible without the generous support of Priszm Income Fund KFC restaurants and their patrons who participate in a variety of $1 fundraisers throughout the year,” said Bitove. “Thanks to the millions of hand sanitizers, paper airplanes and erasers purchased, thousands of students across the country are now poised to reap the benefits of new sporting equipment, musical curriculums and theatrical costumes. These programs and materials will fulfill many immediate needs as well as create lasting legacies for future generations.”

To date, 649 schools have been awarded grants from S’Cool Life Fund. The 2009/2010 grants will go towards many exciting programs including:

•    École Roy et Joly – Rivière-du-Loup, QC – a specialized vibrating ball pool and mobility carts to benefit a group of students with pervasive developmental disorders and physical disabilities. These tools will help stimulate students’ senses, improve their motor skills and ultimately increase independence and self esteem.

•    Shediac Cape School – Shediac Cape, NB – a selection of musical instruments and equipment including xylophones, bongos, timpani, music stands and a DVD library to fill the school’s new music room. These supplies will provide students with an opportunity for hands-on music exploration and enriched learning experiences not readily available in this rural community.

•    Lakefront School – Crane River, MB – cross-country ski and snowshoeing equipment to be used during an inaugural event intended to celebrate the Metis heritage on Louis Riel Day. Through participation in these activities, students will learn about the history, values and tradition of the Metis culture and help keep the heritage alive amongst the community’s youth.

•    Our Lady of Fatima – Brampton, ON – three computers, a printer and supplies for the school’s special needs students who struggle with autism and various physical, cognitive and social limitations. These computers will help bring a voice to students who often feel frustrated by their inability to learn and communicate effectively.

•    Prince of Wales School – Calgary, AB – equipment and costumes for a biennial Carnaval celebration to support the school’s French program. With increased exposure to French Canadian culture and experiences, students will develop an authentic awareness of Canada’s second official language and learn the virtues of accepting diverse heritage.

S’Cool Life Fund grants will be awarded to schools across the country in September. For a full list of schools receiving grants please visit http://www.scoollifefund.ca. Media are welcome to attend the presentation ceremonies and help students, staff and parents celebrate these unique gifts.

Grant applications for next year’s recipients will be available online from September to December 31, 2010. Submissions are reviewed and selected by a board of directors on an annual basis. For further information on S’Cool Life Fund and how to request support for your school’s DREAMS, public elementary school teachers, principals, and volunteer parent advisory groups across Canada can visit http://www.scoollifefund.ca or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCool-Life-Fund/112955432072017

About S’Cool Life Fund

S’Cool Life Fund raises funds and donates grants to public elementary school  (K to 8 ) extracurricular activities and programs to help kids have a more fun and well-rounded school experience. The Fund is supported by Priszm Income Fund (owner and operator of more than 400 quick service restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands), XM Canada, Mobilicity and Scott’s Real Estate Investment Trust. For more information, please visit http://www.scoollifefund.ca and http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCool-Life-Fund/112955432072017.

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For more information about S’Cool Life Fund, please contact:

Nick Seliwoniuk, Wilcox Group at 416-203-6666, ext. 243, nseliwoniuk@wilcoxgroup.com

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2009 - Media / Médias

St. Andrew’s donor reaching out to schools

If St. Andrew’s brand new soccer field is any indication, schools in the region looking for a leg-up can get it through the S’cool Life Fund.

The Miramichi school built a brand new soccer field over what used to be a brick-ridden safety hazard for the Kindergarten to Grade 5 students.

Soccer games were an impossibility on the site, which about a century ago laid home to a sulphite mill.
Following the building of the school, hundreds of bricks remained in the former mill site, causing possibility for injury for the students playing outdoors.

S’cool Life Fund donated $39,800 to the school for the field.
In an interview by phone, founding board member Catherine McCauley reminisced about the application sent by St. Andrew’s, which featured photos of what the soccer field used to look like.

The school had nowhere to play some athletics, specifically soccer, she said.
“We make selections based on the uniqueness of the application, the need, how compelling they are in sending the application to us. And this seemed like a pretty good case for sure.”

Every year the S’cool Life Funds receive applications from schools throughout the country. The variety of needs for the schools comes from essentially all aspects of the public school system: academic, athletic, music, art and any other education program.

Schools apply for anything that may advance the education process for their students.
The need for funding beyond the classroom is an important aspect of education, McCauley said.
“We think for sure curriculum-based learning and testing and all those things school boards think are important definitely are, and we support that, but there are lots of things in the school day for kids to enrich that curriculum that happen on a stage or in a choir or on a field.”

These activities teach children about cooperation and leadership, among many other important aspects of education, she explained.

“Not every kid is turned on by learning the math. Some kids are really turned on by what happens on the field. And we really like the idea of supporting those kinds of applications.”

Since first being established in 2005, the fund has helped 418 schools.
The fund is supported by Prizm Income Fund, which owns and operates over 400 restaurants.
“It’s literally coming a loonie and a toonie at a time across the counter from the customers at those stores,” McCauley said.

Schools interested in applying through the S’cool Life Fund or want more information can do so by going to www.scoollifefund.ca

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Above photos - John Bitove being presented a commemorative brick from St.Andrew’s Principal and Vice-Principal

Children playing with parachute on their new field at the official ribbon cutting ceremony

- Media / Médias

S’Cool Life Fund makes DREAMS come true in Rainbow Schools

C.R. Judd Public School in Capreol has received $2,000 from the S’Cool Life Fund to support its annual Musical Mania production, a Lip Sync Contest for students in Grades 4 to 8. Money raised from the event is donated to the Food Bank in Capreol, giving students an opportunity to give back to the community in which they live.

C.R. Judd Public School was one of three Rainbow Schools to benefit from the S’Cool Life Fund this year. Long Lake Public School received $1,500 for new cross-country ski equipment. A total of $1,000 was allocated to Chelmsford Public School to help fund student activities.
In Musical Mania at C.R. Judd Public School, teams of three students lip sync a song from their favourite artist and perform live on stage. They are judged on lip sync ability, co-ordination, costumes, make-up, set design, props and music selection.

“Musical Mania, which is part of our drama program, enables our students to enhance their presentation skills and build self-confidence,” says Principal Michael Bellrose. “Students who entered the contest in 2009 raised the bar for creativity and performance.” He adds: “Musical Mania inspires our young people to use their imagination in a fun and dynamic way.”

C.R. Judd Public School will be using the S’Cool Life funds to purchase a quality sound system for this initiative. According to Principal Bellrose, children learn and grow from a wide variety of different activities that extend beyond the classroom. “S’Cool Life Fund facilitates this development by supporting extracurricular programs that make school more exciting and active for children,” he says. “We are grateful to the S’Cool Life Fund for helping make this dream come true.”

About S’Cool Life Fund

S’Cool Life Fund is a dynamic non-profit organization that provides much-needed funding to support the exciting and engaging extracurricular programs that enhance the lives of elementary students in Canada. Since 2005, S’Cool Life Fund has travelled across the country every September to present public elementary schools with grants that now total more than $1.3 million! From sports equipment to dance classes to musical instruments, S’Cool Life Fund supplies the support needed to help students fulfill their DREAMS – Drama, Recreation, Extracurricular, Arts, Music and Sports.

The Fund is supported by Priszm Income Fund (owner and operator of more than 400 quick service restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands), XM Canada and Scott’s Real Estate Investment Trust. For more information, please visit http://www.scoollifefund.ca.

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2009 - Media / Médias

More News articles

“News, News, News, on the right hand side of the “Home Page” of www.swlauriersb.qc.ca (our school board web site).

It’s music to K-Park

TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

ROTHESAY - Students at Kennebecasis Park Elementary School will be playing drums and xylophones in music class this year.
On Monday, at 11 a.m., students decorated in school colours will attend a special pep rally at K-Park Elementary during which the S’Cool Life Fund is expected to present a $2,500 cheque to the school’s music program.

Arlene DesRoches, K-Park Elementary music teacher, said she applied for the grant last fall and was thrilled to hear that her music program would be able to provide the equipment necessary to teach elementary students how to play music.

She said as soon as she heard the news, she took a mental shopping trip to the music store.
“Oh gosh, we have nothing but bare bones. The instruments that are here are borrowed from other schools,” DesRoches said.
“I am limited in what I can do to teach because I don’t have the equipment. “¦ This will mean I can enhance my teaching tremendously. I will be able to have the students play these instruments.”

The S’Cool Life Fund is supported by Priszm Income Fund - owner of more than 400 fast-food restaurants such as KFC and Pizza Hut - as well as XM Canada and Scott’s Real Estate Investment Trust.

It raises a portion of its funds from donations from the public and donates grants to public elementary schools across Canada to support their drama, recreation, extracurricular, arts, music and sports programs.

“Everyone is facing budget cuts right now and we want to ensure that kids don’t miss out on extracurricular programs that are critical to their development,” fund chairman John Bitove stated in a press release.

“When we visit schools and see the delighted reactions of our students, principals, teachers and parents it motivates us to continue our quest to make education more fun and well-rounded in Canada.”
Granting School Wishes
Surrey North Delta Leader
Tue Sep 22 2009
Page: 1
Section: Community
Byline: Black Press
Three Surrey schools have been awarded funding that will help make their arts programs sing.
Henry Bose Elementary in Newton will get $2,000 for guitars, James Ardiel Elementary will receive $1,500 for art supplies and $2,000 has been given to Betty Huff Elementary’s drama program.
The money is being provided by S’Cool Life Fund, a charitable organization that raises funds and donates grants to public elementary schools for extracurricular activities and programs to help kids have a more fun and well- rounded school experience.

The fund is supported by Priszm Income Fund (owner and operator of more than 400 quick service restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands), XM Canada and Scott’s Real Estate Investment Trust. Since 2005, Priszm Income Fund has raised more than $2 million in charitable donations in support of S’Cool Life Fund.

Eighty-five elementary schools across the country received grants this year.
Henry Bose and Betty Huff schools were officially presented the money this week, while James Ardiel is having an event Sept. 28.

For more information on the funding visit http://www.scoollifefund.ca

QHS and DDO Receive Funding From S’Cool Life Fund Awards
http://www.qctonline.com/node/4124
By Ed Sweeney

Published: September 23, 2009
When people knock at the door of Central Quebec School Board schools with checks in their hands the doors open wide. That was the case on September 21 as two representatives from the S’Cool Life Fund visited Quebec High School and Dollard Des Ormeaux. Each year this organization which is managed through the company Priszm funds approximately 100 projects across Canada. You can apply online or for more information visit www.scoollifefund.ca or www.lefondsamusecole.ca

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2009 - Media / Médias

Off the Clock: The CEO who never grew up John Bitove’s formal education ended years ago, but his passion for the public school system keeps him deeply involved with kids around the country

AMANDA LANG

From Friday’s Globe and Mail
Last updated on Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 05:04PM EDT

John Bitove The CEO who never grew up

They are like seven-year-old children anywhere: jumpy and fidgety, lined up for a presentation they don’t fully understand. Their principal explains that as of today, thanks to a grant from S’Cool Life Fund—the charitable program that’s the brainchild of John Bitove—they have a hockey program. Their little faces remain blank (that gift of childhood that keeps them from knowing that their school, in northeast Toronto, has fewer resources than some others). But once the impromptu ball hockey starts, they come alive. Faces grow intense with concentration, while friends shriek from the sidelines. In the middle of a thicket of hockey sticks, now being waved like tennis rackets, is Bitove, who also clearly prefers this part of the day’s itinerary.

The high-powered telecom executive, founder of XM Satellite Radio, has the natural athleticism you would expect from a former high school football quarterback—his tall frame and broad shoulders move with surprising agility as he hits the ball. Sport is something Bitove has spent some time on, from chairing Toronto’s Olympic bid in 2001 to founding the Toronto Raptors basketball team. The charitable fund he established isn’t all about athletics, though. It assigns grants to schools for a variety of extracurricular activities, including music, art and drama. “I know from my own experience on a football line that you learn about more than the game when you play a sport,” Bitove says. “You learn about other people, other backgrounds, how to get along.”

Established three years ago, S’Cool Life raises money through Bitove’s other business focus: Priszm Group restaurants, comprising 454 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell outlets across Canada. On-site point-of-purchase donations have raised more than $2 million so far. “Some of the [grant applications] actually make you cry,” says Bitove, who says their first project was one of the most meaningful for him: the purchase of steel drums that would not only create a music program at a Toronto school but would draw in the community of parents, too.

“Some of these schools have so little, and it’s not anything to do with the quality of the teachers,” says Bitove. “You can decide it’s too big a problem and do nothing, or you can do something about it. A few thousand dollars makes all the difference.”

A product of Canada’s public school system himself, Bitove is passionate about what a well-funded educational system can accomplish. He attended York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto, before taking his cue from his entrepreneur-dad, John I. Bitove, and leveraging some of the money and expertise he gained working for his father to develop his own businesses. Now he runs not just Priszm—which is doing well, despite recently having to write down the value of some underperforming sites—but also XM Satellite, where he has managed to increase the number of satellite radios being sold in a dismal new-car market. In August, 2008, Bitove created DAVE Wireless after acquiring the rights to wireless spectrum in Canada for $243 million, a move that will enable him to take on the big incumbents, like Telus and Rogers.

Affable and quick, Bitove is a natural salesman, as comfortable with CEOs as he is with second-graders. He wears his minor celebrity easily, too, putting the crowd around him at ease. “My parents were at a wedding with your parents,” a teacher tells him, a trifle gushingly.

Back on the impromptu hockey court, the kids—still screaming—are taking particular delight in scoring against the big executive, who is managing to convey an air of serious competition. They may be pint-sized, but he’s not letting them get away with much. As they line up to shake hands at the end of the game, Bitove, still sweaty from the play, can’t help offering a little instruction: “You’ve got to say ‘good game’ to each other,” he tells them.

The bell rings for recess, and in a flash the kids are off—leaving Bitove slightly winded, clearly happy, and primed to get on to the rest of his day. “No way will the next meeting be as fun,” he grins, and is gone.

THE LIST

Favourite sport to watch Basketball, because I love the game and the athleticism. The athletes are in peak shape, and the teamwork is amazing to watch.

Favourite sport to play Football, because of its physical nature and strategy.

Sport he’s the worst at Golf, because I make mental mistakes and I don’t play enough.

Regular fitness routine I work out three times a week, either running or going to the gym. On the weekends, I go for long-distance (30 km+) bike rides.

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