WINNIPEG, MB – The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and Investors Group today announced the continuation of their 17-year partnership to support volunteer community coaches across the country. The announcement was made during the official launch for National Volunteer Week, April 27 to May 3, of which Investors Group is the exclusive corporate funder.Sport is important to all Canadians with over 8 million participants and 3 million volunteers involved according to the 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating.

A recent Statistics Canada report, Sport Participation in Canada revealed that there are 1.8 million volunteer coaches participating in sport. Dr. Jean-Marie De Koninck, chair of CAC's volunteer board of directors, commented that, “of the nearly two million coaches, 95% are working at the community level and both CAC and Investors Group are committed to working at this community level through a strong network of caring and committed individuals. We are very pleased to be continuing our partnership and appreciative of Investors Group's continued commitment to our coaches across the country. With National Volunteer Week upon us, we would also like to thank those who give freely of their time not only as coaches, but as sport officials, sport administrators, event organizers, fundraisers, and facility maintainers.”

Investors Group's partnership with CAC provides financial assistance to communities and organizations interested in hosting an Investors Group Community Coaching Conference. A unique forum for participation from all levels of sport, especially grassroots coaches and administrators, to date, 550 conferences have been held providing professional development, networking and community engagement for over 300,000 coaches. This new agreement includes additional support to expand the number of Investors Group Community Coaching Conferences from its current 50 to 90 by 2011.

“Sport volunteerism is one of Canada's largest volunteer sectors, and as such, has a powerful impact on our country's youth and on building national and community spirit,” says Investors Group's President and Chief Executive Officer, Murray J. Taylor. “Our partnership with CAC allows us to provide direct support to communities across the country and reinforce our belief that volunteers should be recognized.”

An integral part of the community coaching conferences is the presentation of the Investors Group Volunteer Sport Administrator Award to a local community volunteer. This award recognizes the contribution to community sport programs made by a dedicated volunteer who has given countless hours of time so that coaches and athletes can enjoy the benefits of well-organized sport. These winners become eligible for the Investors Group National Volunteer Sport Administrator Award which is presented at the annual Sport Leadership Awards organized by CAC.

About Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mission of enhancing the experiences of all Canadian athletes through quality coaching. CAC and its partners deliver a leading-edge coaching system whose goal is to impact 1,000,000 Canadian athletes through the training of 100,000 coaches per year in the National Coaching Certification Program. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.

About Investors Group
Investors Group, founded in 1926, is a national leader in delivering personalized financial solutions to Canadians through a network of over 4,300 Consultants located throughout Canada. In addition to an exclusive family of mutual funds and other investment vehicles, Investors Group offers a wide range of insurance, securities, mortgage and other financial services. As a founding member of Imagine Canada, Investors Group is committed to making a contribution to the many communities across Canada in which we operate by supporting local and national activities, events and organizations. In doing so, we hope to help communities be more dynamic and interesting places to live and work.

For more information, contact:

Sandra Gage
Director, Marketing and Communications
Coaching Association of Canada
613-355-2309 (cell)
sgage@coach.ca

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