InterContinental Toronto Centre Hosts DPA 2010 Gifting Lounge During TIFF

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) September 8, 2010

The InterContinental Toronto Centre (http://www.torontocentre.intercontinental.com) is pleased to partner again with Dubois, Pelin and Associates (DPA) and present the ultra-exclusive DPA 2010 Gifting Lounge during this year's 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, premiering September 9 - 19th 2010.

The DPA 2010 Gifting Lounge is located in the hotel's Presidential Suite -- one of the city's most luxurious venues with a wrap-around terrace that boasts spectacular city skyline views -- and features high-end designer brands, exclusive and one-of-a-kind goods and a host of products to pamper TIFF's biggest stars and their entourages including media, agents and publicists. The 2010 DPA Gifting Lounge at the InterContinental Toronto Centre will be open September 9-17th, from 10am- 6pm every day by appointment only. Inside the Gifting Lounge, high profile invitees will be treated to an assortment of luxury items including jewelry from MICALLA jewelry & design, FeenieBeadie, ANZIE, Ruby Wow!, Royal Blush, Glass Harp Gallery and Susan Hood designs, as well as handbags from Michique, Roots, LouLou Bell handmade and Imperfect Indulgence.

High profile visitors will enjoy SwissTEC skincare products and complimentary Express Refreshers, a mini-facial treatment perfect for festival night owls in need of a pick-me-up, as well as products from RevitaLash and Sula Paint & Peel nail polish. Additional offerings are from Bathing Belle Swimwear and the latest frocks and blouses from Snowflake by Debbie Sutton, Barbara Bela, Bathing belle, Sodaliscious, Turbine by Lisa Drader-Murphy and Eva Varro international. Also featured are destination travel packages from Pearl Resorts & Spa in Tahiti and Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts in Dubai. While browsing the lounge, visitors will enjoy Kusmi Teas from Paris at their tea Bar, fruit beverages from FUZE and the Berry Company and snacks from Galloping Cows fine foods and Ridiculous by Jilli.

Lastly, Gifting Lounge guests won't be leaving without Manitobah Mukluks, Marchon Eyewear, AMC 's Mad Men and Breaking Bad DVDS, Ann Kaplan's book If You Don't Laugh, You'll Cry and a Lomography camera, under their arm.Specializing in international lounges for the stars, DPA is a Los Angeles-based firm that enjoys strong relationships with Hollywood talent, fashion icons, lifestyle tastemakers, high profile brands and the largest film festivals around the world. DPA president and CEO Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko expects this year's Gifting Lounge will surpass previous efforts, adding, "Our reputation in the market is for our select offerings and we've become a sought after destination for celebrities with discerning tastes. We're pleased to be back in the deluxe environs of InterContinental Toronto Centre, one of the most desirable locations in Toronto, and I know our guests will be happy too."

About DPA:

A veteran in the production of star-studded events, Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko, president and CEO of Dubois, Pelin and Associates (DPA) has proven herself to be exceptionally innovative and successful in the realm of celebrity gift suites. With six major suites in the past year alone, Nathalie and DPA have become an intricate part of almost every major award show or film festival worldwide. Originally from France, Nathalie attributes her success in part to her world travels and the exotic cultural influences of the products she picks for her unique gift suites. Nathalie is also the founder of NDS Films, a new venture specializing in film production

.About InterContinental Toronto CentreThe InterContinental Toronto Centre is a masterpiece of modernism, designed to fulfill every need of the global traveler. The 586-room hotel brings together ideal location, plush accommodations, state-of-the-art technology and meeting facilities and personalized customer service, and features the exceptional Azure restaurant and The Spa - a serene oasis offering a wide selection of treatments.

Overlooking scenic Lake Ontario, InterContinental Toronto Centre is also set in the heart of Toronto's financial, theatre and restaurant districts. The hotel is managed and operated under license by InterContinental Hotel Group, Inc. Direct reservations within Canada and US can be made at 1-800-422-7969 or 416-597-1400 and worldwide reservations can be directed to 1-800-327-0200 or online at http://www.ictc.ca. For more information, visit http://www.torontocentre.intercontinental.com.

To book an appointment for the DPA Gifting Lounge, for additional information or to arrange an interview with Nathalie Dubois, please contact DPA Tel: 310-313-4143. Cell: 310-913-4768.

To book an interview with an ICTC spokesperson, please contact Savi Pannu, Danika Lochhead or Susan Willemsen at The Siren Group Inc. Tel: 416-461-5270. Fax: 416-778-9047 or http://www.thesirengroup.com

The DPA gift suite runs September 9th, 2PM to 6PM and September 10th to 17th, 10am to 6pm, and is located at 225 Front Street, in Toronto.

###

Child Rescue Centre Establishes New Partnership to Care for Victims of Child Trafficking in Sierra Leone

Bo, Sierra Leone (PRWEB) September 07, 2011

The Child Rescue Centre, a program of Helping Children Worldwide, has established a partnership with Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST), a program of World Hope International to combat child trafficking and forced child labor in Sierra Leone, West Africa. FAAST works closely with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Social Welfare and Gender Affairs and the Child Rescue Centre works in partnership with the Sierra Leone Conference of the United Methodist Church, together these organizations will have a larger impact on child trafficking. In the entire country, no long-term shelter exists for child survivors of forced labor or trafficking.

In the 18th and 19th century, Sierra Leone was a major center for the slave trade in West Africa. In the 1820s, a population of former slaves returned to Sierra Leone and named the capital Freetown. Now, in the 21st century, in Freetown and throughout Sierra Leone, slavery and trafficking have returned, exploiting the most vulnerable ? the children. In Sierra Leone 48% of children aged 5 to 14 are engaged in child labor, ranking third in the world (UNICEF 2009). Children in Sierra Leone are exploited in the worst forms of child labor, many of them in agriculture, mining, fishing, and domestic work (US Dept. of Labor?s Bureau of International Labor Affairs 2009).

Child traffickers find rural families with too many mouths to feed. They promise parents that they will take their unschooled children to the city to be educated, but instead sell or force those children into lives of servitude and suffering. In the streets of the cities, there are children everywhere. Children who should be in school are forced to sell in the streets, collect scrap metal, or break rocks at the quarries. Boys who should be playing soccer are in the mines, forced to search for diamonds for hours in the blazing heat. Girls are sold into terrible lives of child prostitution.

Sierra Leone is perpetually at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index, ranking low in indicators such as malnutrition, infant and maternal mortality, and life expectancy.

The recently released U.S. State Department?s Trafficking in Persons Report 2011 assesses efforts by 184 governments worldwide to fight sexual exploitation, forced labor, and modern-day slavery. In that report, the previous paradigm for addressing child trafficking was the ?3P?s?: prosecution, protection, and prevention. The 2011 report recommends a fourth ?P?: partnership. The problem of trafficking is so great that it is essential for agencies to coordinate their programs and capitalize on combined resources.

Through the Child Rescue Centre?s partnership with FAAST to implement anti-trafficking interventions in Sierra Leone the organizations will provide the help children need to be rehabilitated and reintegrate into society. Communities will be educated about identifying signs of trafficking. Efforts will be made to prevent trafficking before it starts, identifying desperate families and providing assistance before they are forced to place their children into trafficking situations.

The Child Rescue Centre?s mission is to help the most vulnerable children in Sierra Leone. Children who are victims of trafficking and forced labor are in desperate need of protection and trauma/behavioral care. The vision is to transform the existing Child Rescue Centre in Bo, Sierra Leone into a replicable and sustainable centre of excellence, designed to rescue child survivors of forced labor and trafficking, gradually restoring and reunify children to nurturing local families.

The Child Rescue Centre, which was established in 2000 during the brutal 10 year civil war in Sierra Leone, has become a nationally recognized model for bringing up at-risk children to become leaders. The CRC has a long-standing partnership with the Sierra Leone Conference of the United Methodist Church. Today the CRC provides safety and hope to nearly 300 children who have been rescued from desperate situations.

The CRC provides children with nutritious meals, clothing, education, healthcare, and a safe, nurturing environment. CRC children are trained to become strong leaders in their homes, communities, and in their country. The CRC consists of a residential program, foster care, a child support program which helps children and families in the wider community, and a post secondary scholarship program.

The Child Rescue Centre is a program of Helping Children Worldwide, an umbrella organization that capitalizes on the power of partnerships to holistically address the needs of vulnerable children in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and in Herndon, Virginia.

###

InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel Offers Urban March Break Adventures

Toronto, ON (Vocus/PRWEB) February 22, 2011

The InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel on Front Street is the centre for family fun this March Break. With so many sights to see and activities that bring the family together, it?s the only plan you need. The InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street is offering a March Break family package that is full of value and activities.

The InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street?s March Break family package will keep both parents and children busy and relaxed while enjoying some of the best Toronto attractions. The InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street is the ideal family destination, located close to many of Toronto?s best restaurants and shopping and is steps away from the Rogers Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame, Air Canada Centre and CN Tower.

Enjoy your superior guest room with plush Toronto hotel accommodations and admire Toronto?s beautiful scenery from your waterfront or city view. Families can take a dip in the heated pool and Himalayan hot tub. In addition, the InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street March Break family package is full of value and activities. The March Break family package starts from $ 159.00 per room per night Canadian and includes one night accommodation in a superior guestroom, valet parking, buffet breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children in Azure Restaurant, dedicated children?s check in and kids welcome gift upon arrival. The package also includes daily Kids Zone activities with a family movie night including popcorn & drinks, cooking lessons with Chef, board games, Wii and Playstation 3 as well as complimentary use of the pool.

With all of these activities available, remember to take some time and relax. Add some pampering to your to do list with a Mom and Daughter Mani/Pedi treatment in The Spa. Add on includes a 25 minute manicure, 25 minute pedicure and a bottle of nail polish, for $ 59.00 per person subject to availability.

To book your InterContinental hotel reservation today to take advantage of the urban March Break package, visit http://www.torontocentre.intercontinental.com/

About InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street:

The 4-Diamond InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street brings together ideal downtown location, plush accommodations, state-of-the-art technology, meeting facilities and the very best in customer service. The stunning hotel is a luxury landmark in Toronto, a masterpiece of modernism designed to fulfill every need of the global traveller. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto at Front Street, steps from Toronto's famed Entertainment District, offering the best in theatre, sports, dining, attractions and nightlife. The Financial District is the home of the world's leading multinational companies. The InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street places you steps from both. For more information about the InterContinental Toronto Centre on Front Street, visit:

http://www.torontocentre.intercontinental.com/

###