VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks alumni, team personnel, management and mascot FIN participated in the 16th annual Raise-A-Reader day in downtown Vancouver Thursday, September 20th. Alongside personnel from the B.C. Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver Giants, Vancouver Canadians and local celebrities, the Vancouver Canucks were stationed around the city to help promote the importance of literacy.

The Raise-A-Reader campaign raises awareness and funds to empower today’s children and families with tools to improve their reading skills. These skills are the foundation for lifelong learning that significantly affects the quality of life and the health and social economic well-being of individuals, families and communities.

More than $29,000 in funds was raised in Vancouver yesterday through generous donations in exchange for a special Raise-A-Reader edition of The Vancouver Sun. Major beneficiaries include the Canucks Family Education Centre (CFEC), the Vancouver Public Library Foundation and Decoda Literacy Solutions.

Raise-A-Reader started in Vancouver in 1997 and has since raised $6.5 million in support of children and family literacy in BC alone. The Raise-A-Reader program went national in 2002 and has since donated nearly $20 million in support of family literacy.