September 14, 2007 -

Ottawa (Canada) -- The National Arts Centre is delighted to announce that Mr. Frank O'Dea, a founder of Second Cup, will be this year's keynote speaker at the National Arts Centre's (NAC) Foundation Roundtable on Healing and the Arts: Healthy Mental Development for Children and Youth on Saturday, September 29 at 8:30 a.m. in the NAC Salon.

A prominent group of leaders in the medical and social policy fields, as well as arts supporters and senior public policy makers, will join Mr. O'Dea to discuss the challenges faced by young people such as autism, addiction, eating disorders, and explore the ways in which the performing arts can play a role in treatment options. Mr. O'Dea battled addiction as a young person before his success in the corporate world.

Discussions taking place at the Healthy Mental Development for Children and Youth Roundtable will range from pure science to clinical application, all in lay language that will engage listeners.

The Roundtable is held each year in tandem with the NAC's Annual Fall Gala, which raises funds to support the National Youth and Education Trust, the NAC's primary resource for supporting the artistic development of young Canadians through educational resources, professional training, mentoring programmes and young audience performances.

"We're thrilled that the National Arts Centre will play host to many of Canada's brightest scientific minds, as well as leading Canadian arts supporters," said Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre.

"I'm delighted that so many passionate advocates for the arts are attending the Roundtable on Healthy Mental Development for Children and Youth," said Darrell Louise Gregersen, CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation. "The Roundtable will give participants an opportunity to pursue ideas about how mental health and the arts can converge to benefit society."

Beginning in 2002, two NAC Roundtables on Philanthropy in the Performing Arts explored the importance of adequate financial resources for arts organizations, to ensure that they can fulfill their vital role of fostering a creative culture in Canada. In 2005, the Roundtable began a trilogy of discussions on Healing and the Arts; exploring the profound role that music and other performing arts play in different aspects of human health and development in 2005 followed by a discussion on Mental Health and the Arts in 2006. Results of the discussions from past Roundtables have been shared with more than 3,000 arts and health organizations.

The Roundtables have featured a wide range of Canadian and international participants including: Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. the Hon. Michael Wilson, international arts philanthropist Louise Blouin MacBain, the late General Director of the Canadian Opera Company Richard Bradshaw, University of British Columbia President Martha Piper, business leader and arts patron James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank and Chairman Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and federal Ministers of all parties.

The NAC gratefully acknowledges Sun Life Financial as the Presenting Sponsor and the University of Ottawa as Associate Sponsor of the NAC Roundtable.

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For more information, please contact:
Jayne Watson
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000, ext. 260