Scotiabank donates $1
million to FitSpirit to help build teenage girls' confidence
through
physical activity
MONTREAL, May 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, Canadian
not-for-profit FitSpirit announced the Scotiabank FitSpirit
Celebration in Montreal. The
Celebration is the culmination of FitSpirit's 10-week program where
participating young women run a five or 10 kilometre race,
encouraging them to push their limits while having fun being
active.
For more than ten years, FitSpirit has inspired teenage girls to
rediscover their love of physical activity through fun challenges
and programs that foster an empowering environment. Past programs
have included school-based running programs, motivational speaker
events and student-run charitable fundraisers.
"FitSpirit's work is incredibly important for the future of
Canadian girls' physical and mental health," says Sophie Grégoire
Trudeau, official spokesperson for FitSpirit. "By encouraging
participants to stay active and have fun at a young age, we are
empowering them to put their health and wellness first as they
mature into adults."
To help support the important work of FitSpirit, Scotiabank is
donating $1 million, becoming the
title sponsor of the FitSpirit Celebrations. Scotiabank's support
will result in an increased number and size of Celebration events
in Canada, enabling even more
young women to celebrate their accomplishments through sport.
"We understand that staying active is an integral part of young
women's physical, mental and emotional health," says Claudine Labelle, Founder and President of
FitSpirit. "If girls commit to an active lifestyle in their teenage
years, they are more likely to continue to be active in adulthood.
The best way to encourage them is to provide a safe and supportive
space to pursue the fun of physical activity."
Research shows that half of Canadian girls feel pressure to
please others and appear "perfect" when they hit puberty, resulting
in them taking on less challenges and avoiding new
things.i This coincides with many young women abandoning
athletics and other physical activities in high school. By the time
they graduate, nine out of 10 girls fail to meet Canadian exercise
standards. FitSpirit knows this trend can be reversed by
encouraging young women to build their self-esteem and
confidence.
"At Scotiabank we are passionate about helping young people
reach their infinite potential," says Gillian Riley, Executive Vice-President,
Canadian Commercial Banking, Scotiabank. "We believe our donation
to FitSpirit is an investment in the long-term security, stability
and growth of our communities. We hope our support will help
inspire girls to stay involved with sport, gaining further
confidence, skills and resources to support their success."
Scotiabank FitSpirit 2018 Celebrations will take place in the
following locations:
- Toronto (May 8)
- Gatineau (May 10)
- Montreal (May 15)
- Quebec (May 17)
- Rimouski (May 29)
- Sudbury (June 3)
- Rouyn-Noranda (June 3)
For more information about the Celebrations, please visit
www.fitspirit.ca/participate/celebrations.
About FitSpirit
Founded in 2007 by Claudine Labelle, FitSpirit's mission is to help
Canadian girls discover the benefits and fun of being physically
active. To do this, FitSpirit partners with schools and
community organizations to provide a variety of activities to girls
aged 12 to 17 that get them moving and keep them physically active
over the long term. It offers tools and services within a holistic
approach based on flexible, individualized support to help schools
engage girls through physical activities tailored to their
challenges and their lives. Supervised by school
representatives and FitSpirit ambassadors (athletes-speakers,
kinesiologists, mentors), the girls live a rewarding experience in
a relaxed atmosphere. No competition, no concern for performance:
the only goal is to have fun trying new physical activities.
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 2017, 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
North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our
24 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
89,000 employees and assets of over $923 billion (as at
January 31, 2018), Scotiabank trades
on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New
York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit
www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @Scotiabank.
¡ Source: Key Canadian Always
Confidence & Puberty Wave V Study
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8160351-always-like-a-girl/
|
SOURCE Scotiabank