Toronto, ON (January 13, 2015) – Did you know: Saturday, January 17, 2015 is officially deemed “Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day”? With just 8% of people actually achieving their yearly resolutions (Statistic Brain, 2014),  Helpling.com, a web-based platform for booking home cleaning services, is providing five easy online tools that can help you curb the urge to ditch your newly-made personal vows.

“Most people start the New Year with good intentions, but after returning from holidays and getting back into the busyness of life, resolutions have a tendency to be forgotten.  A lot of people don’t even bother making resolutions because they don’t think they can maintain them,” says Helpling.com managing director Blake Connoy. “With the growing ability to manage our lifestyles online, the Helpling team has five simple online tools that you can use to help keep your resolutions on track.”

Helpling.com offers the following to ensure Torontonians stick to their goals over the next 12 months:

5 Online Tools To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

1. Stick To A Healthy Diet: Eating better is on everyone’s agenda in the New Year. Nowadays, you don’t need to resort to ordering a greasy pizza online, as there are plenty of home delivery services that send healthy fresh-made food to your door. Not only is this a great way to better your eating habits, but it also takes the guess work and effort out of planning healthy meals. Some examples of Toronto-based delivery services include fresh food from ChefsPlate.com and EssentialMealDelivery.com, which allow you to follow a meal plan based on your lifestyle.

2. Keep Your Home Clean: A recent survey conducted by Helpling.com revealed that Torontonians want clean homes, but only 5% actually enjoy cleaning. Get a fresh, clean start to your 2015 by usingHelpling.com to take care of the dirty work. Helpling allows you to book a local, experienced, and insured cleaner in just a few clicks for just $25 an hour – taking the stress out of keeping up with your cleaning in the New Year.

3. Keep Fit: While you may vow to go to the gym in the New Year, it doesn’t always happen. There are some amazing apps that allow you to track and keep up with a fitness routine at your own pace, in the comfort of your home. Some of these include: Human (an app that encourages you to get your 30 minutes of activity each day) and Instant Fitness (an app that provides easy workouts for you to do anywhere).

4. Save More Money: Tracking your money can be a real bore, but with sites like Mint.com, you’re able to set budgets, analyze your spending (how much you’ve spent on entertainment, food, etc. each week), and get a hold on where you should scale back — all without having to sort through your monthly bank statements.

5. Learn Something New: Improving your skills and furthering your knowledge (whether for work or for personal growth) is another popular resolution. Learning company Lynda.com allows you to select online courses that you can complete at your own pace from home. Whether web design, photography, business, software or creative skills, there are tutorials available online for you to increase your learning in the New Year.

For more information, photos or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

o: 416.963.9857 e: cory@embracedisruption.com

About Helpling:

Helpling Canada is a fast-growing company based in Toronto. The company’s mission is to make home cleaning services conveniently accessible to customers at a transparent hourly rate. Launched in Toronto in December 2014, Helpling is an online platform for booking cleaners quickly. The service is also available in Germany, where the global headquarters are based, as well as Austria, France, Sweden, Italy, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands. Helpling is supported by Rocket Internet, the world’s largest internet incubator.

Website:         http://www.helpling.com

Facebook:      http://www.facebook.com/helpling

Twitter:           http://www.twitter.com/helplingca

Google+:        https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HelplingCa

Instagram:      @helplingca

Two Seriously Ill Brothers Help Create Teddy Bear To Raise Funds For Charity

Brothers Matteo and Nicco are newest designers of Starlight Children’s Foundation™ Canada’s 6th collectible bear, “Hiya”.

TORONTO, ON (November 25, 2014) - Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada in collaboration with Toys“R”Us Canada is proud to release their 6th Limited Edition Collectible Starlight Bear, Hiya. Designed by brothers Matteo and Nicco, Hiya is sold in Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores across the nation. A portion of Hiya’s sales will fund Starlight’s in and out-of-hospital programs, brightening the lives of seriously ill children across Canada.

Both brothers, Matteo (five years old) and Nicco (three years old) have been battling cancer. At 16 months old, Matteo was diagnosed with the rare form of bladder cancer, Rhabomyosarcoma. During Matteo’s 3.5 years of treatment (resulting in the removal of his bladder and prostate), his brother Nicco was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Nicco now begins his chemotherapy treatment with Matteo by his side in remission.

Matteo, Nicco and their family bonded over the creation of the 2014 bear. Hiya is the name of Matteo and Nico’s favourite blankey; a double sided cozy and warm blanket they take everywhere.  The bear was crafted to feel just like that same blankey, and named after a term their grandmother uses meaning “sleepy sleepy”. The brothers included a gold and purple ribbon on the bear’s foot, representing childhood cancer awareness, and the fight of thousands of other children living with life threatening illnesses.

“The Starlight bear provides the opportunity to share stories of strength and courage with our supporters across the nation,” said Starlight executive director, Brian Bringolf. “We feel honoured to share Matteo and Nico’s moving story through our important and meaningful partnership with Toys”R”Us Canada.”

With the support of both employees and customers, Toys“R”Us Canada has raised over $12 million dollars for Starlight in the last 15 years.

Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada’s collectible bear Hiya is $14.99 and available in Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores across Canada and online at http://bit.ly/hiyabear

For photos of Hiya, the brother designers and their family, please follow: http://bit.ly/hiyaphotos

For more information, photos or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

p: 647.638.1586 | e: cory@embracedisruption.com

About Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada:

Starlight Children’s Foundation™ Canada is part of Starlight’s global network, serving kids and families through partnerships with more than 130 healthcare facilities. Over the past 30 years, Starlight has become a leading global charity that partners with experts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world. Collaborating with innovators in pediatric healthcare, entertainment and technology, Starlight provides a unique blend of family-centered programs and services from hospital to home. Starlight partners with more than 1,750 healthcare facilities and pediatric hospitals in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, serving millions of children every year.

Website: http://starlightcanada.org

Twitter: @StarlightCanada             #Hiya

Facebook: http://facebook.com/starlightcanada

YouTube: http://youtube.com/canadastarlight

About Toys“R”Us, Canada:

Toys“R”Us (Canada) Ltd., is part of Toys“R”Us, Inc., the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer. Toys“R”Us, Canada operates over 80 stores across the country. For store locations and convenient online shopping visit www.toysrus.ca or www.babiesrus.ca.

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The original video for the oscar-nominated song was released in November of 2013, making big news for being the longest music video ever; a title previously held by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson (for the song ‘Ghosts’). The energetic dancing video, 24 Hours of Happy,  is shown on its own website and features the song in 4 minute loops for a full 24 hours. The video highlights dancers of all shapes and sizes; male, female, young, old, and even some celebs including: Steve Carrell, Kelly Osborne and Magic Johnson to name a few. A regular length video was released around the same time.

We can all agree: Pharrell has had quite a year topping the charts with hits like ‘Blurred Lines’ and ‘Get Lucky’, but this video has become a beast of its own. As of late, the style of the video has been replicated and used to highlight countries and cities from around the world. Hop on YouTube and you can see ‘Happy’ videos from Dublin, Bermuda, Berlin, France, Hong Kong, Kiev, Jamaica, Cambodia and many others. Loads of local businesses are going to great lengths to get a spot in their city’s version of the video.  Two of the most impressive videos have come from Jamaica and Bermuda. They are beautifully done and  showcase tourist hot spots in a gorgeous light.  ’Happy’ is no longer just an upbeat song, it has become the ultimate marketing tool to showcase your country, city or business. Take a look at Bermuda’s and Jamaica’s renditions below:

Pharrell seems to be embracing the various parodies of his video, tweeting them out and showing gratitude for all the support. A big thanks goes out to Pharrell, for bringing a little bit of happiness into all of our lives.