80 charities will benefit from the annual Scotiabank Charity Challenge

MONTREAL, April 24, 2019 /CNW/ - At the 2019 Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal, many of the runners will have two important goals, finishing the race and raising important funds for the 80 charities participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

In its 17^th year, the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal remains one of Québec's most important road races and fundraising runs, supporting 80 charitable organizations this year. Racers are aiming to surpass last year's fundraising total of $1,358,585.

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners to support the charity of their choice and make a significant impact locally. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees.

"At Scotiabank, we know what is possible when people come together to support their communities," says Geneviève Brouillard, Regional Senior Vice President, Québec and Eastern Ontario at Scotiabank. "We are proud to bring the Scotiabank Charity Challenge back to the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal for the 11^th year, to help racers support their favourite charities. At Scotiabank, investing in our communities has been a focus for over 185 years and that is not changing. Together with our employees, we are focused on enriching the lives of young people. Our goal has always been to help create a better life for people in the communities we serve and that will continue at the 2019 Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal. We look forward to cheering all the racers across the finish line on April 27 and 28."

Scotiabank believes in helping young people reach their infinite potential, and many organizations who take part in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge have a direct impact on our local youth. We recognize what is possible when young people have the guidance, confidence and tools they need to achieve their dreams. 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.

Taking place over two days – April 27-28, the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal will see over 7,000 runners cross its start lines of various distances. The event is on the way to being a sold-out event again this year.

"The Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal is a weekend-long event with a distance for everyone," says Race Director Francois Lecot of the Canada Running Series. "There is a 5k, 10k, half-marathon and even a 1k Kids Run. It is a fun weekend for the whole family! The event is one of the key spring running events in Eastern Canada and has raised over 7.5 million dollars for local charities since the Scotiabank Charity Challenge was introduced in Montréal in 2009."

Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including: Montréal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.

For a complete list of 2019 charities participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visit the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal's website.

Part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a friendly competition between the charities for $24,750 in cash prizes consisting of $4,250 for 1^st place, $2,500 for 2^nd, and $1,500 for 3^rd in the following categories:

• The Official Charity that has the most fundraising runners.
• The Official Charity that raises the most fundraising dollars.
• The Official Charity that raises the largest amount of pledge dollars per fundraising runner.

How to get involved:

• Register for an event: Register for Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal on the event website until Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m.
• Fundraise: Once registered, sign up for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise funds for a participating official charity.
• Share on social media:
• Share your story behind why you support your charity, using #CourseScotia.
• Donate: Visit the Scotiabank Charity Challenge to select an official charity and make a one-time donation.
• Cheer: Support friends and family along the race route and as they cross the finish line. You can also show your support to runners online by using the hashtags #SCOTIA21KMTL and #CourseScotia.

Local celebrities involved

This year, two Quebec personalities are actively involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. Comedian Maxim Martin will run for research for the CHUM at the Scotiabank Charity Challenge because, "Running for a good cause is always fun and running in groups, there is nothing that beats that."

Singer Nicola Ciccone will also be on the starting line. He will take up the Scotiabank 21k Charity Challenge in Montreal for the Charles-Bruneau Foundation, the largest funder of pediatric hemato-oncology research in Quebec, who will invest more than $26 million in research by 2020, plus $55 million already invested in research, construction and equipment.

They will be available for interviews on the site and before the race. Please contact us to arrange these.

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 Canada Running Series
Canada Running Series is the nation's premier running circuit with 8 events: 4 in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver 1 in Montreal and 1 in Edmonton.  It annually attracts over 60,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly-local charities.  The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization.

We are passionately committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from Canadian Olympians and International stars, to healthy lifestyle people and charity runners; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.  Our mission is "building community through the sport of running."

Join us: http://www.canadarunningseries.com Instagram – Twitter – Facebook - @RunCRS

SOURCE Scotiabank