BMO Becomes Presenting Sponsor of Walk So Kids Can Talk With Kids Help Phone

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 14, 2013) - BMO Financial Group announced today that it will be officially joining Canada's largest walk to support the mental and emotional well-being of children and youth as the presenting sponsor of Walk so Kids Can Talk. This year's Walk takes place on Sunday, May 5, 2013, and BMO employees from across Canada will be participating.

"'Being there' is an extraordinary promise we make to the young people of every community in Canada. But it's a promise we can't keep without the generosity of time, talent and resources from dedicated and loyal friends," reminds Sharon Wood, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone. "Since 1989, BMO has helped Kids Help Phone become the leading Canadian and world-renowned professional youth counselling service that it is today. By taking this leadership role with Canada's largest Walk to support child and youth mental health, BMO is deepening its commitment to the well-being of every kid from every community, whether urban, rural or remote. Funds raised during this vital campaign help Kids Help Phone keep pace with the evolving needs of today's youth, responding with content and services that are relevant to their life, 24/7/365. Thank you BMO, for your continued leadership as a remarkable champion, helping transform lives, contributing to stronger kids, families and communities across Canada."

The 5 km Walk so Kids Can Talk Presented by BMO will raise funds to ensure kids, teens and young adults from big cities, small towns, remote communities and every neighbourhood in between can reach out to a Kids Help Phone professional counsellor by phone or online, day or night, in English and in French.

"The bank couldn't be more proud to be the presenting sponsor of Walk so Kids Can Talk in support of Kids Help Phone, an organization that BMO and its employees have long and enthusiastically supported -- as one of its founding partners," said Bill Downe, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "We care about kids, and as part of our broadened partnership, this walk will see BMO employees right across Canada join together with their families to have some fun, raise funds and do something important for young people."

BMO Financial Group became a founding partner of Kids Help Phone in 1989 and over the past 24 years, BMO and its employees have raised millions of dollars in support of the mental and emotional well-being of children and youth.

Kids Help Phone is Canada's leading youth counselling service, a registered charity that relies on fundraising events like Walk so Kids Can Talk to raise the critical funds needed to ensure 24/7/365 service remains available to the 6.5 million* young people in Canada. Young people turn to Kids Help Phone's professional counsellors 5,000 times a week to get help and support with problems and questions many educators aren't equipped to answer or with worries parents may not understand.

*Source: represents the age group Kids Help Phone serves (from 5 to 20) according to Statistics Canada 2011.

About Kids Help Phone

Kids Help Phone is a Canadian and world leader, known for our expertise in providing vital, innovative, and professional counselling services to children and youth. Since 1989, we have offered children, teens and young adults in Canada a critical lifeline of hope and support, through our free, anonymous and confidential service. Our professional counsellors support the mental health and well-being of young people ages five to 20, in urban, rural, and remote communities, by providing one-on-one counselling, information and resources online and by phone. Our internationally recognized, award-winning websites are considered a model of child-focused interactive design, and offer online counseling forums and engaging, therapeutic games, tools and information to encourage resilience and self-care. A community-based national charity, Kids Help Phone receives no core government funding and relies on community and corporate support to keep our essential service available. We're there for the 6.5 million young people in Canada, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and in French.

To learn more about Kids Help Phone, please visit www.kidshelpphone.ca. To register to Walk so Kids Can Talk today, visit http://www.walksokidscantalk.ca/.

About BMO Financial Group

For more than 195 years, BMO Financial Group has believed in community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility in the communities it serves. In 2012, BMO contributed more than $87.6 million in donations, sponsorships and events in Canada and the United States to groups, organizations and programs that help build and sustain resilient, vital and healthy communities.