Most high-fives given in one location in Ontario, Canada

At we love ourselves an event or publicity campaign that merges aspects of group fun, good news and doing good for others all-round… and that’s exactly what took place in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada this week. A good example of combining several activities which appeals to mass audiences… firstly Soccer, or Football depending on which part of the globe you are reading this. And ‘High Fiving’ which is a truly global activity everyone knows about.

At the pre-world cup friendly match between the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team and their English rivals; UNICEF Canada, with support from members of the Canadian women’s team this week led a whopping 7,238 fans at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field and smashed a World Record for the greatest number of people simultaneously giving a high-five. The previous record of 4,696 people was held by The Kroger Co. in the US and was set on April 16, 2013.

The record-breaking event was also the perfect way to kick-off UNICEF Canada’s life-saving Campaign, a partnership with the Government of Canada and Canada Soccer that will run until throughout June as the Canadian Women’s National Team competes in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. The Government of Canada will match all Canadian contributions to up to $1 million—reaffirming Canada’s long-standing partnership to save children’s lives.

Karina LeBlanc, goalkeeper for the Canadian Women’s National Team and UNICEF Canada Ambassador said:

“I’ve seen the impact of UNICEF’s work with children in Honduras and Dominica and am excited to have two of my passions—soccer and reaching children through UNICEF—come together with #HighFiveIt. Competing in the World Cup on home soil makes me unbelievably proud to be a Canadian. We are a compassionate and generous country. I encourage Canadians to high-five every time their favourite team scores or a goalkeeper makes a great save and donate $5 so UNICEF can reach the world’s most vulnerable children to help them survive and thrive.”

The world cup is the largest women’s sporting event in history and it will be hosted in June by six Canadian cities—Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

UNICEF Canada, along with Canada Soccer, aims to engage fans and supporters during the games to save the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children through .

About the #HighFiveIt campaign:

#HighFiveIt is a campaign engaging Canadians across the country to join a global movement to help stop preventable child deaths. UNICEF is encouraging people around the world to join the #HighFiveIt movement to help save kids’ lives by making a $5 donation to UNICEF, capturing a fun high-five photo or video, posting it on social media and tagging five friends. All Canadian donations to #HighFiveIt, up to $1 million, will be matched by the Canadian government.

About CANADA SOCCER:

Canada Soccer, through its partnership with UNICEF Canada, supports development initiatives that save the lives of children and mothers around the world. The grassroots engagement bridges Canadian soccer pitches in towns from coast to coast with global efforts to save the lives of the 17,000 children who die every day from preventable causes. A natural extension to the work done by goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (UNICEF Canada Ambassador, Olympic Bronze Medalist and the longest-serving player on Canada Women’s National Team), UNICEF Canada and Canada Soccer are looking to build off of the momentum of the Women’s National Team’s success as ambassadors and female leaders on and off the field.

Stay updated on all news related to the upcoming Women’s World Cup via: www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

For more info about the world of Unicef Canada visit: www.unicef.ca

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