May 31, 2006

YOUNG PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ENJOY FREE EVENING AT THE AQUARIUM

Vancouver, BC: Last night the Vancouver Aquarium hosted its fourth Dreamnight, an evening where over 350 children with life threatening illnesses and their families got to meet an array of aquatic creatures up close.

Dreamnight offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience to patients of BC Children’s Hospital, Sunny Hill Health Centre, Canuck Place, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Wish Foundation and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. The evening ran from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and was free of charge.

The children got to see the belugas and got up close to the dolphins. Other activities throughout the night included face painting, touch pools, sing-a-longs, puppet shows, crafts and more!

Vancouver Aquarium staff and volunteers donated their time to keep the Aquarium open after hours in order to give these children and their families a special experience that they will never forget. Dreamnight began at Rotterdam Zoo in 1996 and has since been adopted by a number of zoos and aquariums, mainly in Europe. The Vancouver Aquarium was the first aquarium in Canada to host Dreamnight in 2003.

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For further information, please contact:

Brenda Jones, Manager, Public Relations

publicrelations@vanaqua.org