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Lions roar for environment at Richmond school

BC Lions Jason Arakgi and Jon Hameister-Ries lit up the faces of James Thompson elementary students Wednesday afternoon.

BC Lions Jason Arakgi and Jon Hameister-Ries lit up the faces of James Thompson elementary students Wednesday afternoon.

The two football players visited the school to show their support for the FortisBC Energy Champions program, which emphasizes the importance of environmental responsibility for children in kindergarten through to Grade 7.

The entire school filled the walls of the gymnasium to listen to the presentation by the Lions players.

Arakgi and Hameister-Reis had the kids participate in various activities such as partnering up and running the length of the gymnasium to building a life-sized pie chart with home power percentages.

In its third season last year, the initiative visited 75 elementary schools throughout the province, inspiring more than 22,000 students to play an active role in reducing their environmental footprint.

Arakgi and Hameister-Ries, along with a few other Lions, visited several Metro Vancouver schools this week to promote both the FortisBC Energy Champions and the Be More Than a Bystander programs.

The latter, applying to secondary school students, encourages people to break the silence surrounding violence against women and girls.

This weeks visits marked the first in a series of presentations where Lions players will speak to students in Grades 8 through 12 about healthy, respectful relationships.