NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

UNIQUE MULTIMEDIA RESOURCE ABOUT ONLINE VOLUNTEERISM WILL BE
PUBLISHED AND DISTRIBUTED FREE, WORLDWIDE, BY CANADIAN CHARITY

Winnipeg, CANADA, July 28, 2004 -- Lead by Randy Tyler's six years of pioneering work with far-flung online volunteers, Canadian-based charity Macdonald Youth Services (MYS) will publish and distribute to non-profits organizations worldwide, a free and unique, multi-media "how-to" resource about online volunteerism. Worldwide online users are projected to top one billion by the end of 2005 (eT Forecasts). But globally, there are very few resources available now to explain how to tap into this huge, mostly untapped pool of potential online volunteers.

MYS's publication will share their innovative best practices, discerned over the last six years, with other non-profit organizations around the world to help them reap the benefits of online volunteerism by reaching into this cyber-based volunteer pool. Their resource (to be released 2nd quarter, 2005) will also serve to inform and educate the wired global public about Online (Virtual) Volunteerism -- a new and convenient way for a computer user to help a non-profit organization around the corner, or around the world, from the comfort of their home or work setting.

Thanks to the financial support, vision and commitment to volunteerism of the Winnipeg Foundation, along with the help of world leader InstallShield Software Corporation and talented online volunteers, such as Russ McLamb, MYS will share their best practices publication free, not only locally, but with non-profit organizations around the globe via a user-friendly, bandwidth option web download.

"It's exciting to anticipate a new resource sharing field-tested best practices for successful virtual [online] volunteering projects, based on the pioneering work of Macdonald Youth Services. The promised 'multi-media' format sounds especially intriguing, and how wonderful that this publication will be freely accessible to the entire volunteer community around the world. Bravo, Randy!"

Susan J. Ellis, President, Energize, Inc.
Philadelphia, U.S.
www.energizeinc.com

"After six years of pioneering efforts, Macdonald Youth Services has shown that the Internet is a proven medium to recruit volunteers from around the globe to help their children's charity. Thus, we at Chris-Mar Studios are proud to volunteer our time and talent to help them share their online volunteer program successes with other not-for-profit organizations around the world."

Russ McLamb, Owner/Voice Talent/Producer
Chris-Mar Studios
North Carolina, U.S.
www.chrismarstudios.com

Ellis, co-author of the Virtual Volunteering Guidebook, said: "We welcome this extension of the material we published back in 2000; in fact, it's about time someone with real-world experience in online service brought the information up-to-date!"

"Non-profits take note! Online volunteerism has the potential to revolutionize the way that organizations enlist and use volunteers. Macdonald Youth Services has been at the forefront of this emerging field and their new toolkit promises to be a terrific resource for organizations of any size."

Maggie Leithead, President/COO
Canada's Supersite for the Non-Profit Sector
Vancouver, Canada
CharityVillage.com

"I look forward to sharing our online volunteerism accomplishments to help the global non-profit community," said MYS's Randy Tyler. "I hope that our multi-media resource also assists the general public learn that online volunteerism is a new and flexible way, where one can now make a real difference to a charity or non-profit organization, a block or continent away, all from the convenience of one's home or office-based Internet connected computer."

Macdonald Youth Services is a 75 year-old trusted and respected registered charitable treatment and support agency based in Winnipeg, Canada, that provides a variety of innovative and leading programming for thousands of Manitoba's young people on a yearly basis within the following conceptual areas: residential treatment, treatment foster care, mobile crisis and brief treatment teams, specialized individual placements, pre-employment/life-skills training and youth shelter.

For Further Information:

Randy Tyler
Macdonald Youth Services
175 Mayfair Avenue (Head Office)
Winnipeg, MB Canada
W: www.mys.ca
T: 1-204-949-4292
E: [email protected]
Online Media Centre:
www.mys.ca/media