What's free, Canada-wide, and coming to a community near you? Hint: it involves local actors, musicians, artisans, and more…

Culture Days weekend kicks off in Waterloo, Ontario, with Sun Life Financial event

WATERLOO, ON, Sept. 29, 2011 /CNW/ - From aerial performances and drum beats to museums and theatre groups, Sun Life Financial kicked off Culture Days weekend with an event highlighting the diverse arts and culture scene in Waterloo Region.

More than 1,000 Sun Life Financial advisors and employees attended the event at Sun Life's Canadian Headquarters. Headlining performances by Aerial Angels, Organic Groove, and Sun Life employee and singer/songwriter, JP Sunga, provided just a taste of what Culture Days has to offer in Waterloo Region and set the stage for many events taking place across the country over the next three days.

Making the Arts More Accessible
Sun Life is the national Lead Founding Visionary Partner of Culture Days, and is a strong supporter of culture and the arts.  Through Sun Life's Culture Days sponsorship, and the Making the Arts More Accessible^® program, the company provides an opportunity for Canadians to experience arts and culture in their communities.

"Sun Life is a strong believer that access to culture and the arts contributes to strong, dynamic, and vibrant communities across Canada," said Mary De Paoli, Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer at Sun Life Financial.  "We're honoured to play a key role in this special event, giving Canadians the chance to express their creativity and learn more about arts and culture in their communities."

Culture Days is a grassroots, community-based movement to increase awareness, accessibility, participation, and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their regions.  This annual event allows the public to explore the behind-the-scenes work of local artists, creators, historians, curators, and designers in the areas of music, dance, visual arts, film, history, theatre, literature, and so much more.

This year's free Culture Days weekend-long event will take place in hundreds of cities and towns across Canada from September 30 to October 2.  Tens of thousands of independent artists; arts, culture, and heritage organizations; community groups; schools; businesses; municipalities; libraries, and millions of Canadians will participate and show the true colours of Canada's artistic and cultural scene.

For more information:

• Visit culturedays.ca and plan your Culture Days weekend using the Bright Spots Schedule, presented by Sun Life Financial.
• Visit our Donations and sponsorships section on sunlife.ca to learn more about our arts and culture initiatives.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2011, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $474 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

Image with caption: "Sun Life Financial hosted a kick off to Culture Days event at its Canadian Headquaters in Waterloo, showcasing local arts and culture booths, dazzling performances, and guest appearances by Culture Days, Sun Life, and local media representatives. (From left to right) JP Sunga, Sun Life employee and singer-songwriter, and Kevin Strain, Senior Vice-President, Individual Insurance and Investments at Sun Life Financial. (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110929_C7467_PHOTO_EN_4044.jpg

Image with caption: "Sun Life Financial hosted a kick off to Culture Days event at its Canadian Headquaters in Waterloo, showcasing local arts and culture booths, dazzling performances, and guest appearances by Culture Days, Sun Life, and local media representatives. (left to right) Antoni Cimolino, General Director of Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Chairman of the Culture Days national Steering Committee, and Kevin Strain, Senior Vice-President, Individual Insurance and Investments at Sun Life Financial. (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110929_C7467_PHOTO_EN_4046.jpg

Image with caption: "Sun Life Financial hosted a kick off to Culture Days event at its Canadian Headquaters in Waterloo, showcasing local arts and culture booths, dazzling performances, and guest appearances by Culture Days, Sun Life, and local media representatives. Aerial Angels (pictured above) gave two stunning performances. (CNW Group/Sun Life Financial Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110929_C7467_PHOTO_EN_4048.jpg