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Imperial Oil recognized for advancing women's hockey in Canada
| Toronto, ON, May 30, 2003
| The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) has honoured Imperial Oil with a 2003 Breakthrough Award for its commitment to supporting women's hockey at all levels across Canada.
The CAAWS award recognizes exceptional accomplishments that break through traditional barriers and pave the way for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity at every level.
Imperial Oil has been a long-standing and proactive partner with Hockey Canada for many years with a recent focus on assisting in the development of female hockey across Canada. From grassroots programs such as Esso Fun Days to the prestigious Esso Women's National Championship, Imperial Oil has been instrumental in fostering the growth of female hockey nation-wide.
"The Esso Fun Days program, which provides a free and fun introduction to the game of hockey, has been a huge success and has contributed significantly to the increase in registration across Canada in female hockey," says Bob Nicholson, President of Hockey Canada. "This program alone has been delivered to over 50 communities and has touched more than 7,000 participants, coaches and volunteers since its inception in 1997."
Imperial Oil's commitment to women's hockey extends also to the Esso Schools Program which enables school-aged children to attend domestic championships and international hockey games, with the goal of encouraging the growth of the sport. In addition, as the title sponsor, Esso provides an opportunity for the top female hockey team from each province to compete for the coveted Abby Hoffman Cup at the Esso Women's National Championship.
"We are honoured to receive this recognition as we are very proud to be an active supporter of women's hockey," says Karen Fraser, marketing sponsorship manager for Esso Canada. "In the last 10 years we have seen a 400% increase in participation by women in the sport in this country and Imperial Oil is delighted to play a small part of that growth. We certainly look forward to seeing what the next 10 years hold."
Imperial Oil is Canada's largest gasoline retailer, with more than 2,200 Esso retail outlets coast-to-coast.
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