100 inspiring Canadian women share their stories

TORONTO, March 5, 2013 /CNW/ - They come from all walks of life, backgrounds and careers, and the one thing they have in common is that they are women who inspire. With the goal of empowering women to pursue their dreams, Scotiabank has sponsored Canadian artist Gerda Neubacher's new book Portraits of Canadian Women Who Inspire, which launches this evening at a reception and signing in Toronto, Ontario, just days before women around the world celebrate International Women's Day.

"Scotiabank is proud to sponsor the launch of Portraits of Canadian Women Who Inspire, which reinforces our belief in the value of diversity and the strength it brings to an organization or community," says Alberta Cefis, Executive Vice President, Global Transaction Banking at Scotiabank and a portrait subject who spoke at today's launch. "We hope this book will inspire women from across Canada to realize their own dreams and their full potential. The stories and women portrayed, painted by Gerda Neubacher who herself is an inspiration, remind us that we can all inspire through our own personal stories."

As part of Scotiabank's sponsorship, 50 copies of the book will be donated to libraries across Canada. As well, Neubacher is donating 15 per cent of proceeds from book sales, which will benefit the Canadian Women's Foundation and Partners in Art.

"The sponsorship is a natural fit with Scotiabank Bright Future, our grassroots philanthropic program that provides support across six pillars, including the arts and education," adds Cefis.

Featuring portraits and stories of more than 100 Canadian women, the book aims to portray women according to their own vision of themselves, enabling them to tell their stories in their own words.

"A woman once told me she'd had her portrait painted several times — and she didn't like any of them. No artist had captured the way she saw herself," says Gerda Neubacher, who spent a decade of her 35-year career working on the project. "That made me ask myself, what would happen if I made my subjects equal partners and painted them according to their own vision?"

Portraits of Canadian Women Who Inspire will be available at www.inspiringwomen.ca, the Neubacher Shor Contemporary Gallery and Ben McNally Books.

The Scotiabank Bright Future program is the Bank's global philanthropic program, which brings together all of the Bank's charitable, social and community efforts and employee volunteer activities under one banner. Through Bright Future, the Bank's charitable efforts are aimed at being relevant and responsive to the needs of each community at a grassroots level and provide support across the fields of health, arts, education, social services, sports and the environment. In the Caribbean, Latin and Central America, the Bright Future program focuses primarily on children and children's causes.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading multinational financial services provider and Canada's most international bank. With more than 81,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates serve some 19 million customers in more than 55 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. In December 2012, Scotiabank became the first Canadian bank to be named Global Bank of the Year and Bank of the Year in the Americas by The Banker magazine, a Financial Times publication. With assets of $668 billion (as at October 31, 2012), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.

SOURCE: Scotiabank - Sponsorships & Donations