TORONTO, ON - November 15, 2016 /CNW/ - As Canada marks National Philanthropy Day, Ryerson University and Scotiabank are pleased to announce the Bank's $325,000 gift to boost student engagement and training in the not-for-profit sector.

The Bank's support makes it easier for not-for-profits to benefit from the new skills and perspectives that an intern brings to the workplace, and creates opportunities for Ryerson students to learn and gain experience with charities and organizations working toward positive social change.

With Scotiabank Changemakers, students from the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) will be able to participate in internships with not-for-profits -- a sector often under-represented as a career option to young people. Encouraging this interaction between business students and the not-for-profit sector will further opportunities for employment and continued volunteerism.

Last summer, two students from TRSM's accounting and finance program participated in Scotiabank Changemakers. Megan Thomas and Mehrnaz Maleki both completed co-op placements with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), a leading economic development organization dedicated to reducing poverty and fostering economic growth in Canada and worldwide.

Thomas says the experience was particularly relevant to her education as a finance student: "I learned so much over the summer and gained valuable skills that will help me throughout the rest of my schooling. I was doing work on their database and assisting in monitoring submissions of evaluation reports for both international and national assignments. It was an amazing experience for me."

"At Scotiabank, we believe investing in young people is the path to community prosperity," said Paul Baroni, Senior Vice President, Business Finance Head, Scotiabank. "Scotiabank aims to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their full potential. We believe this is an investment in the long-term security, stability and growth of both our communities and our business. We are proud to continue our partnership with the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University through our funding of the Scotiabank Changemakers program."

Ryerson University President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi said, "Scotiabank has been a generous and forward-thinking partner with Ryerson University for many years. With this gift, they further our work to engage and build community, and they provide real-world opportunities for students to bring to life the university's mission to serve society's needs. We are truly grateful for their investment to make a positive difference for tomorrow."

Scotiabank has been a longstanding partner with Ryerson. This donation brings the Bank's contributions in recent years to $750,000. In addition to establishing Scotiabank Changemakers, the Bank has supported two other key initiatives:

• Business Team Development: the gift will also support Ryerson student teams as they train and participate in the Jeux du Commerce and MBA Games, Canada's premier national business leadership and skills competitions.
• Ryerson Image Centre: Scotiabank's generosity also supports programming at the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC), a centre of excellence for the exhibition, research and collection of photography and related media, and a cultural destination in the city.

In 2011, Scotiabank and renowned photographer and Ryerson alumnus Ed Burtynsky founded the annual prestigious Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA). Scotiabank also created two scholarships to provide increased opportunities and access for outstanding students internationally. To date, more than 120 students have benefited from the scholarships.

About Ryerson University

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 Master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

About Scotiabank

Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 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 23 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 88,000 employees and assets of $907 billion (as at July 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

Attached photo cutline: Academic boost: The Scotiabank Changemaker Fund will enable not-for-profit organizations to hire students for co-op internships, enabling them to gain practical, hands-on work experience in their chosen fields. Left to right: Paul Baroni, SVP, Business Finance Head at Scotiabank; Wendy Harris, President and CEO of the Canadian Executive Service Organization; Megan Thomas, Accounting and Finance student at Ted Rogers School of Management; Janet Slasor, Director, Donations, Sponsorships & Executive Projects at Scotiabank; and Dean Steven Murphy of Ted Rogers School of Management. Photo credit: Clifton Li Photography

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Suelan Toye 
Ted Rogers School of Management 
Office: (416) 979-5000 x3608
stoye@ryerson.ca

Erin Truax 
Public, Corporate and Government Affairs 
Scotiabank 
(416) 471-5714
Erin.Truax@Scotiabank.com