Reader’s Digest partners with Debbie Travis and CBC to celebrate Canada’s community heroes

“When I first learned of Debbie’s project, I immediately felt the connection with Reader’s Digest,” shares Robert Goyette, Editor-in-Chief, Reader’s Digest. “At the core of our magazine, we make ordinary people extraordinary and extraordinary people ordinary. And by partnering with Debbie and CBC on this project, we look forward to inspiring Canadians by showcasing everyday people who truly are extraordinary.”

The partnership launched with the September issue of Reader’s Digest, where the home-reno guru and bestselling author Debbie Travis revealed, in an exclusive interview, how community has played an important part in her own personal journey—from her childhood in England through to her life today in Montreal—and how it has inspired her latest project, All For One with Debbie Travis.

The October issue of Reader’s Digest continues this celebration of everyday heroes by profiling a Victoria, BC couple, Jean and Walt Edwards, who have dedicated their lives to helping others and in doing so, have shared their home with nearly 1,000 foster kids.

“There are unsung heroes in every community,” says Travis. “People who, through their volunteer work and devotion to others, turn potentially anonymous neighbourhoods into friendly places to live. These people are the glue that bind our communities and I’m thrilled to be honouring them in my new show and in the pages of Reader’s Digest magazine this fall.”

All For One with Debbie Travis premieres Sunday, September 26 at 9 p.m. on CBC and writer Candice Vallantin will be profiling these unsung heroes in the October, November and December issues of Reader’s Digest magazine. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Canada’s most read and most trusted magazine,” adds Julie Bristow, Executive Director of Factual Entertainment, CBC. “As we embark upon this new adventure and celebrate the quiet heroes making a difference across this great country of ours, we couldn’t imagine a better fit to help us share these inspiring stories than with Reader’s Digest.”

Reader’s Digest’s October issue is available on newsstands now.

Debbie Travis is best known for her award-winning, popular television shows and her extensive décor product line available exclusively at Canadian Tire, but she is also a best-selling author, a sought after public speaker and prolific television producer. She has authored nine books, published by Random House and her weekly syndicated newspaper column reaches six million readers throughout North-America. Through her production company, Whalley-Abbey Media, she has Executive Produced more than a dozen television shows including the award-winning ‘Chuck’s Day Off’ and ‘Buy Me’. She supports a number of charities, most notably The Cure Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, for whom she has been the spokesperson for the past three years.

Reader’s Digest is a leading Canadian multi-brand media and marketing company that educates, entertains and inspires, connecting audiences throughout Canada. It publishes five magazines, including Reader’s Digest and Sélection, Canada's most read magazines with 7.3 million readers a month. In 2008, it launched Best Health, a healthy lifestyle magazine for Canadian women and More of Our Canada, a companion magazine to the very popular Our Canada magazine. Along with being a premier publisher of books, music and video products, it operates a network of branded websites in Canada, including readersdigest.ca, selection.ca, ourcanada.ca, besthealthmag.ca, plaisirssante.ca, allrecipes.ca, allrecipes.qc.ca and tasteofhome.com.

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

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