Bank also announces winners of 10th Anniversary Scotiabank Group Charity
    ChallengeVANCOUVER, Aug. 26 /CNW/ - Scotiabank announced today that a total of
$194,000 was raised by more than 4,600 participants at the Scotiabank
Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k, on June 22, 2008. A new fundraising record of
$91,577.58 was set by the Arthritis Society, B.C. & Yukon Division.
    Winners of the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge were also announced.
Ten community charities vied for top honors in three categories: the charity
with the most runners (raising $10 or more); the charity that raised the most
money per runner and the charity that raised the most pledges. The category
winners were all awarded with $5,000 prizes.
    The winners of three $5,000 prizes were:Most pledges raised: Arthritis Society, B.C. and Yukon Division:
    $91,577.58.
    Most runners (raising $10 or more): BC Children's Hospital Foundation,
    50 runners.
    Most money raised per participant: The Alzheimer's Society of B.C.:
    Average raised $786.34 per runner."The Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge is another way that Scotiabank
helps support local causes in our community," said David Poole, Scotiabank's
Senior Vice-President, B.C. & Yukon Region. "The tenth anniversary Scotiabank
Group Charity Challenge was a great opportunity for us to highlight ten
respected, local community-based organizations. We are thrilled with this
year's success and want to thank all of the participants who ran or walked for
the sake of others and raised funds. We look forward to raising even more
money next year."
    The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k is part of the prestigious
Canada Running Series. Growing in annual popularity, it is also a highly
successful fundraising event, with funds benefiting The Alzheimer's Society of
B.C., The Arthritis Society, B.C. & Yukon Division, BC Children's Hospital
Foundation, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, Big Sisters of B.C. Lower
Mainland, CKNW Orphan's Fund, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon,
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, Rick Hansen Foundation, and the VGH
& UBC Hospital Foundation. The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k has now
raised more than $950,000 in its nine-year history.
    The top individual fundraising award, the Scotiabank Group Charity
Challenge Award, and $2,000 prize, was presented to Vancouver's David Porte.
Porte's daughter, now three years old was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, a
painful auto-immune disease that affects one in 1,000 children, making it one
of the most common chronic childhood diseases. Now in his second year and even
more determined to do what he could to help his daughter and the hundreds of
children with arthritis in B.C., Porte signed up for the half-marathon and
raised more than $32,260 for The Arthritis Society, B.C. & Yukon Division.
    Rounding out the top three individual fundraisers were Lyn Hsu who raised
an amazing $21,695, and Debbie Setton who raised $12,360, both for The
Arthritis Society, B.C. & Yukon Division.

    Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live
and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally
and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic
activities, in 2007 the Bank provided more than $43 million in sponsorships
and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas
of healthcare, education and social services. Scotiabank is on the World Wide
Web at www.scotiabank.com.