First Nations Voice

PAGE 9 • MAY 2012 DECEMBER 2012 • PAGE 9 From everyone here at First Nations Voice, we want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our readers, supporters and advertisers. From our family to yours, we wish you a holiday season filled with love, joy and happiness and all the best in 2013. Happy Holidays everyone! The Power of Social Media The power of social media is far reaching. It can connect remote regions to major centres, reunite old friends and bring people together to support a worthy cause. At Northern/NorthMart, social media plays a signifi- cant role in how the retailer promotes its community support initiatives, including its newest campaign – a Facebook fundraising drive aimed at raising money for diabetes awareness, programming and research. "We have a thriving Facebook community and we thought this would be a great way to raise additional funds for the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). From November 1, until the end of this month we will donate one dollar to the CDA for every new Like we get on our Northern/NorthMart Page," says David Lui, Director of Marketing Services, The North West Com- pany. Lui says Northern/NorthMart has a goal of 10,000 new Likes, which means a potential $10,000 donation to the CDA and the cost to customers is just a click of the mouse. "This campaign is absolutely free to our customers. All we ask is that they Like our page and invite all their friends and family to do the same, the more new Likes the better," says Lui. The Northern/NorthMart "Like Us" fundraising drive coincides with the store's annual Gift of Hope cam- paign. From now until the end of the year, Northern/North- Mart customers can purchase a Gift of Hope decal for $2, single or $10, family pack, with all proceeds go- ing to the CDA. The decals are then placed on display throughout the store to celebrate customer's support. Through the Gift of Hope campaign, in-store events and marathon runs – such as the upcoming Cayman Islands run, Northern/NorthMart staff and customers have raised over $2,000,000 for diabetes research. "As a retailer, we have a social responsibility to pro- mote healthy living in the communities we serve – one way we can do this is through our partnership with the Canadian Diabetes Association. We are very pleased to work closely with them to ensure all funds raised dur- ing the Gift of Hope campaign are redirected back into the communities for diabetes awareness and preven- tion programming," says Lui. One of the programs funded by the money raised was a series of com- munity fun runs. Throughout the summer, 11 communities across northern Canada hit the ground run- ning in the first annual North West Run for Diabetes. "When we were looking at ways to contribute to the communities we serve, we wanted to find a fun activ- ity that the entire community would want to participate in while at the same time promoting healthy liv- ing," says Lui, adding that the North West Run for Diabetes is open to any community that wishes to hold a race. A Facebook group – The North West Run for Diabetes – was also created to provide participants with the latest on training and running tips/videos, healthy recipes to keep them energized, inspirational quotes to keep them motivated and every- thing else they will need to get ready for run day. - The North West Company

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