With off-season community efforts ramping up once again, members of the BC Lions Football Club will visit several local elementary schools this week to kick off the club’s Terasen Gas Energy Champions program.

Now entering its second season, the Terasen Gas Energy Champions program is designed specifically for children in kindergarten through grade seven, emphasizing the importance of environmental responsibility and being an 'Energy Champion'.  In 2010, the initiative visited 75 elementary schools throughout the lower mainland, Vancouver Island, the Interior and northern BC, inspiring more than 25,000 students to play an active role in reducing their environmental footprint.

“I am very excited to kick off the second season of the Terasen Gas Energy Champions program,” said Lions director of community relations, Jamie Taras.  “Now, more than ever, we must encourage, support and teach youth in our communities about the importance of reducing our impact on our surroundings while preserving our environment for generations to come.”

“By working with other community conscious organizations like the BC Lions, we’ve been able to carry out innovative initiatives such as the Terasen Gas Energy Champions program. This important program reaches out to school children across the province, inspiring them to be conscientious about the energy they use and teaching simple ways they can help the province achieve its climate action goals by conserving energy every day,” said Doug Stout, Vice President, Energy Solutions and External Relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC.

In the coming weeks, Lions players including safeties Jason Arakgi and J.R. LaRose, along with fullback Rolly Lumbala and offensive linemen Dean Valli, Andrew Jones, Jon Hameister-Ries and Justin Sorensen will hit the road to visit 75 elementary school in communities throughout the lower mainland and across the province, including Victoria, Trail, Castlegar, Prince George, Quesnel, Salmon Arm and Kamloops.