Be You, Be Loud, Be Smart, Be Proud: Morguard Joins Forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters to Encourage and Empower Girls with Third Annual BeYou Campaign

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 17, 2018 /CNW/ - For the third year in a row, Morguard proudly joins forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters to celebrate the uniqueness of every girl across Canada with the national BeYou campaign. The campaign will be rolled out from September 17 - 23, 2018, in 20 enclosed owned and managed Canadian shopping centres in the Morguard retail real estate portfolio.

BeYou features free interactive activities and events, with empowering programs designed to increase self-esteem, personal growth and self-worth in young women. A complete schedule of activities and participating shopping centres is available on the campaign website, beyougirl.ca.

"Morguard believes in being an integral part of the communities in which we operate. Our owned and managed shopping centres provide a unique opportunity to reach local young women and provide positive mentoring and reinforcement through BeYou," said K. Rai Sahi, Chairman and CEO of Morguard. "The BeYou campaign, developed by Morguard, gives girls access to personal and professional development tools, while celebrating their growth, diversity and self-worth during their formative years."

Morguard's collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters allows the campaign to impact women directly through specialized programming and mentorship, and strengthen ties in the community for lasting long-term impact. The campaign received a 2017 ICSC Canadian Foundation Award recognizing the most outstanding corporate social responsibility and community outreach efforts by shopping centres and management companies across Canada.

Local ambassadors, free interactive workshops and events that cater specifically to young women in the community are planned at each participating Morguard owned and managed shopping centre. Campaign highlights include:

• Paint the Town Purple in celebration of National Big Brothers Big Sisters Day on September 18: At each participating centre, Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors and mentees from the community will participate in the creation of the colourful mural that will serve as a backdrop for BeYou events and activities the rest of the week.
  
  
• National ambassadors from the hit Disney and Family Channel show "Backstage"- Madison MacGregor,Alyssa Trask and Devyn Nekoda:  The three actresses will be featured in the campaign's national BeYou video which will appear online and be screened across all Morguard malls and BeYou events.
  
  
• Resource toolkit: The BeYou website has posted an extensive collection of resources curated to help empower and uplift young women, their families and friends.
  
  
• BeYou song remix: For the second year in a row, award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter Tara Shannon has provided an inspiring BeYou anthem and video in support of the campaign.

About BeYou
BeYou is a national cause marketing campaign created to increase self-esteem and empower young women across Canada. Developed by Morguard and presented in its owned and managed portfolio of 20 shopping centres, BeYou will give young women access to personal and professional development tools, while celebrating their growth, diversity and self-worth. In partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, the program is offered in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

A complete list of activities can be found at beyougirl.ca, the digital hub for the BeYou campaign providing resources, workshop dates and inspirational messages.

CHARITY PARTNER: BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
Big Brothers Big Sisters facilitates life-changing relationships that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their potential, both as individuals and citizens. Big Brothers Big Sisters run an ongoing group mentoring program in almost all of Morguard's markets across the country. Go Girls!, for girls aged 12-14, focuses on physical activity, balanced eating and self-esteem.

About Morguard
Morguard Corporation is a major North American real estate company.  It has extensive retail, office, industrial, multi–suite residential, and hotel holdings owned directly, or through its investment in Morguard REIT (TSX: MRT.UN), Morguard North American Residential REIT (TSX: MRG.UN) and Temple Hotels Inc. (TSX:TPH). Morguard also provides real estate management services to institutional and other investors. Morguard's owned and managed portfolio of assets is valued at $21.7 billion. Please visit www.morguard.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Morguard Corporation