TORONTO, March 9, 2021 /CNW/ - Scotiabank is pleased to announce the first participants chosen for its inaugural Scotia Rising Teammates mentorship program. The 21 mentees were first unveiled during Sunday's Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest virtual summit.

Research shows that by age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys*. One of the many barriers contributing to this decrease in participation is the lack of female role models and mentors. While female coaches keep girls engaged, only 27 per cent* of youth coaches are women.

That's why, in partnership with Hockey Canada and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), Scotiabank has recognized these 21 young women for their demonstration of outstanding play, leadership and teamwork, both on and off the ice, with a once-in-a-lifetime mentorship program. 

Congratulations to the 2021 Scotia Rising Teammates:

Scotia Rising Teammate mentors include, Natalie Spooner (Scotiabank Teammate), Ann-Renée Desbiens, Brigette Lacquette, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull of the PWHPA.

"I am really excited to be a mentor for the Scotia Rising Teammates program and I can't wait to meet my mentees," says Natalie Spooner, Canada's National Women's Team and PWHPA player and Scotiabank Teammate. "I know how powerful it was for me to meet female hockey players and role models when I was younger and it's with a lot of pride that I am now able to spend time with these girls to share some of my stories and experiences, to help them on their path to achieving their goals!"

Each of the 21 Scotia Rising Teammates will receive a:

• Four week mentorship program with a PWHPA player
• Four individual mentorship sessions 
• Four group sessions that will include special guest appearances
• Resource handbook
• Individual participant package
• $1,000 donation to the mentee's hockey team

To learn more about Scotiabank Girl's HockeyFest and the Scotia Rising Teammates mentorship program, please visit: https://www.scotiabankgirlshockeyfest.com/

About Scotiabank Hockey
Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, Toronto Maple Leafs (who play at Scotiabank Arena), Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames (who play at Scotiabank Saddledome), and Edmonton Oilers. The Bank also supports the Montreal Canadiens and is a sponsor of Hockey Canada, the PWHPA and the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Since 2008, Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program has supported over one million kids and counting through its involvement with minor hockey teams in communities across Canada. To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.scotiabankhockeyclub.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success 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 approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank