Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, thousands of Canadians across Canada participated in the Kids Help Phone Bowlathon. This marked the 11th such annual event and it was, as always, a tremendous success. More than $52,000 was raised towards the phone service in Yellowknife. This figure includes a generous donation of $15,000 from the Yellowknife Elk's Lodge No. 314.
Mr. Speaker, the Kids Help Phone is a 1-800 national anonymous service available to children all across Canada. It gives them a chance to call toll-free anytime and talk with specially trained counsellors. It is estimated that one out of every eight Canadian children suffers from some form of abuse, whether physical, sexual or emotional. The Kids Help Phone offers them a safe way to get help without the pressure of face-to-face meetings.
Each day, Mr. Speaker, more than 1,200 calls are answered from children between the ages of five and 19. It costs the callers nothing and it should not. A happy childhood should be free to all children.
However, Mr. Speaker, keeping up with the demand for service is an extremely difficult task, and that is why, each year, Canadians are asked to step forward to help. I would like to thank my colleagues who did just that. Mr. Handley and Mr. Bell, MLA for Yellowknife South, bowled with me on the Yellowknife MLA team. I would also like to thank my colleagues in this House, many of whom donated very generously. In fact, most of whom donated very generously.
Mr. Speaker, our team raised the most money at the three o'clock time slot on Saturday. I know that senior staff were under an awful lot of pressure over the last couple of weeks as Minister Handley single-handedly raised more than $600 towards the cause, tying with one other person for the top amount pledged.
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Mr. Speaker, we did well at raising money. However, I have to tell you that our bowling prowess left much to be desired. We were definitely not in the running for any awards for our bowling. In fact, there were some who said the safest place to stand in the bowling alley was among the pins when we were bowling.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate the Northwest Territories 5 Pin Bowlers Association. Both the Yellowknife zone of the 5 Pin Association and the adult league, as well as the Youth Bowling Council rallied more than 130 bowlers. There were also 200 individuals who came out or offered their time and raised money for the Help Phone.
In particular, I would like to congratulate Lynell Broadbent and the volunteers who coordinated this much needed and very successful event. A job well done.
Mr. Speaker, the Kids Help Phone number is 1-800-668-6868. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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