CASS teacher and students to carry Olympic torch

RBC NEWS RELEASE

************************* RBC awards teacher and students from Central Algoma Secondary School with unique 2010 Olympic team torchbearer spot

DESBARATS — Carole Hunt-Ford, a teacher from Algoma Secondary School, and 18 of her students have been selected by RBC through the Canadian Olympic School Program as 2010 Olympic Team Torchbearers.

"My students and I are honoured to be part of something so extraordinary as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and we want to thank RBC for this opportunity," said Hunt-Ford. "Our Student Athletic Association has worked hard over the past 10 years to give back to their communities by helping with skills development camps for youth and running elementary and secondary athletic events at our school. They are role models for our incoming secondary students and I am thrilled that they have been recognized for their contributions and leadership."

Through the Canadian Olympic School Program, which brings the Olympic Spirit to classrooms across Canada, RBC provided teachers, coaches and school leaders the opportunity to help create a better Canada by working with their students to submit a team pledge that chronicled how they were going to improve their community, be more environmentally-friendly, or live healthier lifestyles.

RBC and the Canadian Olympic Committee reviewed the pledges received from across the country and have awarded 16 teams of 20 students and teachers with the opportunity to be 2010 Olympic Team Torchbearers.

Each team will collectively carry the Olympic Flame for one kilometre during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

The Team Olympic Torchbearer program was created by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay to provide teams with the opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame and be recognized for making a difference in their community through teamwork and cooperation.

“Ms. Hunt-Ford and her students are an inspiration to us all and demonstrate how each of us can make a difference and help build a lasting legacy for our community,” said Jim McLean Regional Vice President “To be part of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay is a unique and thrilling opportunity and RBC is proud to offer Canadians a chance to participate in the Olympic celebrations and share in the Olympic Spirit community by community.”

Residents of Algoma and North Shore are encouraged to come out and cheer on the torchbearers as they make their way across Canada in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

The Olympic Flame will arrive in Sudbury on January 2, 2010.

Approximately 12,000 Canadians will carry the flame across the country with millions more cheering and supporting them.

The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its journey to Vancouver on October 30, 2009, when the flame arrives in Victoria following a traditional lighting ceremony in Greece.

The Olympic Flame will then travel from coast to coast to coast through every province and territory in Canada – spanning 45,000 kilometers and over 1,000 communities over the course of 106 days.

It will end at B.C. Place on February 12, 2010, with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, signaling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

As Canada’s longest-standing supporter of the Canadian Olympic Team since 1947, RBC is a Premier National Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and proud to bring the Olympic Spirit to communities across Canada as Presenting Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

To see how 2010 Olympic Torchbearers, selected by RBC, are making a difference in their communities, visit rbc.com/carrythetorch.

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence.

It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.

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