TORONTO, May 24, 2019 /CNW/ - Tonight, at the Beyond
Boundless event, in support of the SickKids Herbie Fund, Scotiabank
announced a new $1 million donation
to support Phase Two of the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative, a
project with a goal of helping to build a sustainable program to
diagnose and treat paediatric cancer and serious blood disorders in
the Caribbean.
The initiative – in which Scotiabank is recognized as the
Telemedicine Partner – connects doctors at The Hospital for Sick
Children (SickKids) in Toronto
with doctors in six countries in the Caribbean to help improve – and in many cases,
save the lives of young people. In addition, medical professionals
across the Caribbean have access
to participate in educational programming in Canada without ever setting foot on a
plane.
"Prior to 2013, young people diagnosed with cancer or blood
disorders in the Caribbean faced
major systemic challenges," says Ted
Garrard, CEO, SickKids Foundation. "There were few
specialized diagnostic services, minimal data on treatment
efficacy, and few health-care professionals with specialized
training in the region. At that time, SickKids recognized the
opportunity to make a difference and developed the
SickKids-Caribbean Initiative, with Scotiabank signing on as the
first financial institution to donate $1
million to the program. Now, with Phase Two of the program
underway, we are grateful for Scotiabank's continued support
through this additional $1 million
gift."
Phase Two of the project is designed with the ultimate goal of
enabling a full transfer of leadership and future sustainability to
the Caribbean partners currently
working in partnership with SickKids, including the University of the West Indies, Ministries of Health
and key hospitals and institutions from the six participating
Caribbean countries. This approach
aims to improve the access and infrastructure to services for young
people with cancer and blood disorders in the Caribbean, with
enhanced capacity for country partners to provide a timely,
accurate diagnosis and high-quality follow-up care.
"Scotiabank is proud to invest in the SickKids Caribbean
Initiative to help as many young people in the Caribbean community reach their infinite
potential and the right to thrive, through the benefit of improved
access to the best healthcare," says Pruyn
Haskins, Global Head of Equities at Scotiabank. "Young
people are our future leaders and we recognize what is possible
when they receive the backing they need to succeed. We have seen
the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative do just that and are confident
that our renewed $1 million donation
will continue to help families in need for many years to come."
As Canada's international bank,
Scotiabank has operations in countries around the world. We
recognize and celebrate the impact that the medical professionals,
volunteers and support staff at SickKids have on the hospital's
young patients – no matter where they live – and that is why
Scotiabank has supported the hospital for more than 30 years and is
proud to continue that support through the SickKids-Caribbean
Initiative.
About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support
organizations that are committed to helping young people reach
their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and
Scotiabank's goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary
skills and resources they need to support their success. Together
with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level.
Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and
philanthropic activities, in 2018, Scotiabank contributed more
than $80 million to help our communities around the
world.
Scotiabank is Canada's
international bank and a leading financial services provider in the
Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million
customers become better off through a broad range of advice,
products and services, including personal and commercial banking,
wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment
banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 98,000
employees and assets of over $1
trillion (as at January 31,
2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
About SickKids Foundation
Established in 1972,
SickKids Foundation raises funds on behalf of The Hospital for Sick
Children (SickKids) and is the largest charitable funder of child
health research, learning and care in Canada. Philanthropy is a critical source of
funding for SickKids – one of the world's foremost paediatric
health-care institutions. Thanks to the generosity of the
community, and as a result of a record-breaking year in
fundraising, SickKids Foundation generated an unprecedented
$146.3 million for the fiscal year
ending March 31, 2018. For more
information, please visit sickkidsfoundation.com.
SOURCE Scotiabank