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Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Highlights

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The Scotiabank has proudly announced highlights of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in their press release dated October 16,2011. But, before you read it, here is an exclusive MetroActive bird’s eye video of the race as it passes by the Pinnacle buildings along the waterfront.

Now for the press release.

Canadians Coolsaet and Gillis qualify for London Olympics at 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Toronto’s premier running event raised more than $3.5 million for 164 local charities

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2011 /CNW/ – Today was a spectacular day for Canadian pride at the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM), with Canadian runners Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis qualifying for the London Olympics. More than 22,000 runners took to the streets in windy conditions, raising more than $3.5 million for 164 local charities.

Coolsaet and Gillis, his training partner at Speed River Track Club in Guelph, ON, finished third (2:10:55) and fourth (2:11:28) respectively at STWM, meeting the Canadian Olympic standard and ensuring their spots on the 2012 Olympic Team. Coolsaet’s time was the fastest time ever run by a Canadian on Canadian soil and the second fastest time ever for a Canadian over the classic 42k distance. Gillis, who met the qualifying standard by merely one second, previously represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10,000m.

Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara won the overall men’s title with a time of 2:09:51. Ethiopia’s Shami Dawit narrowly lost a thrilling sprint to the finish line, also being timed in 2:09:51 for second. The women’s race was equally exciting. Despite battling a tough headwind over the last seven kilometres, Ethiopia’s diminutive Koren Yal, equaled the course record of 2:22:43 defeating fellow Ethiopian Mare Dibaba by 42 seconds to claim the top prize. Yal’s performance was the ninth fastest women’s marathon run in the world so far this year.

“This was a remarkable breakthrough day for Canadian marathoning,” said Alan Brookes, Race Director. “Over the past few years our IAAF Silver Label race has established itself as one of the best in the world and today’s times confirm that. Most exciting today is that our Canadians ran with the best in the world and punched their tickets to London. We’re thrilled and so proud of not only our elite athletes, but also the 22,000 other runners that collectively raised a record-breaking amount for charity.”

“I am extremely proud to report that the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has raised over $3.5 million for some incredible Canadian charities,” said John Doig, Senior Vice-President, Toronto Region, Scotiabank. “STWM is an amazing event where people from all over the world can run, cheer on loved ones, or raise money for charity. It’s a great combination of athleticism, philanthropy and community spirit.”

Marathon Highlights

Men’s Race – Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara was crowned Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon champion for the fourth consecutive year, with a finishing time of 2:09:51. Mungara previously broke the record for fastest time on Canadian soil at STWM in 2010 (2:07:57).

Women’s Race – Koren Yal, from Ethiopia, placed first in the women’s race (2:22:43) just ahead of fellow Ethiopian Mare Dibaba who came in second (2:23:25). Russia’s Silvia Skvortsova came third in 2:27:51.

Canadian Standings – Reid Coolsaet of the Speed River Track Club in Guelph, ON, led the Canadians with an overall third-place finish with an international-class time of 2:10:55, qualifying him for the 2012 Olympic Games. Also qualifying for the London Olympics is Reid’s clubmate Eric Gillis who finished fourth at 2:11:28. Particularly noteworthy is that six Canadians finished in the top ten in this world-class event.

Half-Marathon – Thomas Breitbach won the men’s half-marathon, with a time of 1:07:21, and Leslie Sexton took the women’s title with 1:16:32.

Milton, ON phenom, Ed Whitlock, 80, continued to re-write the record books, running 3:15:54 for a new M80+ age-group world record. The longstanding previous mark was 3:39 which Whitlock took down to 3:25 in Rotterdam in April before slicing down nine more minutes today at STWM.

Capping off an incredible event, 100 year-old Fauja Singh (India) is set to break the world record for the oldest person to complete a marathon with a finish time of 8:25:16.
The full list of results for the 22nd Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is available at www.stwm.ca.

The Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge and Neighbourhood Challenge together surpassed the $3 million target with a total of more than $3.5 million as of press time. This remarkable achievement exceeds last year’s total of $2.54 million. In addition, Scotiabank will award $6,000 to the three charities with the most runners, the largest amount of pledges per runner and the most money raised in pledges.

Along the marathon course, 12 Neighbourhood Cheering and Entertainment stations encouraged the runners to the finish line as part of the Scotiabank Neighbourhood Challenge. To honour their exuberance and support, Scotiabank will award them a charity bonus of $6,000 for having the most people, best costumes, best entertainment, and above all, creating the most noise. This year’s challenge was the best-ever with tons of spectators and incredible costumes, with the final report on the winners being issued later this week.

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM)

For the fourth consecutive year, the STWM has been awarded a prestigious Silver Label by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). This designation makes the STWM one of only five internationally recognized IAAF Label marathons in North America. In 2010, the STWM was ranked as 6th fastest marathon in the world, 3rd fastest women’s race in the world and holds the record for both the fastest men’s and women’s marathons on Canadian soil (2:07:58 run last year by Kenneth Mungara and 2:22:43 by Sharon Cherop equaled today by Koren Yal). The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon attracts participants from over 50 countries and this year’s goal is to raise more than $3 million for 164 charities reached $3.5 million as of press time.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon includes a 5km, half-marathon (21.1km), and full marathon (42.2km) run. For more information, please visit www.stwm.ca.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, ‘Bright Future.’ Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $44 million annually to community causes around the world over the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

Image with caption: “Eric Gillis (left) and Reid Coolsaet celebrate at the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 16, 2011) after qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.

Image with caption: “Kenneth Mungara of Kenya wins his 4th consecutive Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 16, 2011) with a time of 2:09:51.

Image with caption: “More than 22,000 runners take to the streets of Toronto for the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 16, 2011), raising more than $3.5 million for charity.

Image with caption: “British Sikh 100 year-old Fauja Singh completes the 42.2km 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 16, 2011) with a time of 8:25:16.

For further information:

Julia Wall-Clarke, Narrative Advocacy Media
Tricia Soltys, Narrative Advocacy Media

Patty Stathokostas, Scotiabank Media Communications

Scotiabank Launches “Bright Future” Community Program

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Craig Kielburger helps launch global philanthropic program

January 21, 2011 @ 12:00PM

Toronto – Scotiabank today launched an international philanthropic program uniting the Bank’s charitable, social and community efforts and employee volunteer activities under one new banner – Scotiabank Bright Future. Scotiabank President and CEO Rick Waugh was joined by special guests including Free The Children Founder, Craig Kielburger as he announced the program at an event held in Toronto earlier today.

“From its earliest days almost 180 years ago in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Scotiabank has held a steadfast belief in supporting the unique needs of each community it serves,” said Rick Waugh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scotiabank.  “While our operations have grown worldwide, we have maintained our focus on community service. The Bright Future program will enable Scotiabank and its 70,000 employees worldwide to build upon this tradition of creating a bright future – one community at a time.”

Elements of the Bright Future program:

Employee engagement and recognition: In 2010, Scotiabank employees spent more than 324,000 hours volunteering and fundraising, and by applying through the Bank’s formal community programs they generated C$7.5 million in additional funding for the organizations that they support. As part of today’s launch, the Bank also introduced the Bright Future Community Leadership Awards which will be given to Scotiabank employees for outstanding commitment to their community and leadership in helping those in need.  Scotiabank will make a financial donation to the designated charity of the winners.

Scotiabank Bright Future Young Leaders Award: As part of the launch Scotiabank today also announced the establishment of “The Scotiabank Bright Future Young Leaders Award”, which will recognize youth from Canada and international locations for outstanding contribution to their communities annually. Applications for the first youth awards will be accepted later this year, with the first recipients announced in the spring of 2012.  Further details on the youth awards programs will be available in the coming months at www.scotiabankbrightfuture.com  

Community and Charitable Giving: Over the last five years Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $44 million annually to community causes around the world. We’ve made it easier and more transparent for charities to make an application through a dedicated website. To mark the launch, Scotiabank announced a C$1 million gift to Toronto-based Hospital tor Sick Children’s International Patient Program that provides life changing care to children from outside of Canada.

Centralized information: The Bright Future program, including information for charities seeking support, can be found on the Bright Future website in English, Spanish and French at www.scotiabankbrightfuture.com. The Bank will also be launching a new internal Bright Future platform in three languages, which includes all information on the program as well as localized lists of volunteer opportunities for employees.

“Giving back in meaningful ways is an intrinsic part of Scotiabank’s history, culture and identity,” said Sylvia Chrominska, Group Head, Global Human Resources and Communications, Scotiabank. “Bright Future builds on our past practices, creates a new shared philanthropic program that respects local priorities and introduces new initiatives that will bring even greater value to those around us.”

Bright Future’s origins began in 2007 in Scotiabank’s Caribbean and Latin American markets. With today’s announcement all Scotiabank donations and charitable activities – wherever they take place in the world – will be part of the Bright Future program.

“Bright Future has been a success in Mexico and we are proud that through this program we have been able to be part of building stronger, more vibrant communities by supporting the work of our charitable partners,” said Nicole Reich de Polignac, Executive Vice-President and President & CEO, Grupo Financiero Scotiabank, who participated in today’s launch from her office in Mexico City. “On behalf of my team in Mexico and my colleagues in other countries from Canada to Chile, Puerto Rico to Peru, we look forward to building on this success.”

Engaging a New Generation

Scotiabank was pleased to welcome Free The Children Founder, Craig Kielburger, who participated in today’s launch. In addition to inspiring and motivating the audience to be community active, he applauded Bright Future’s recognition of the importance of youth for future philanthropic success.

“Through the Scotiabank Bright Future Young Leaders Award we have an opportunity to recognize the contribution of young people who are active in their communities and, at the same time, reach out to those who have yet to become active volunteers,” said Mr. Waugh. “Engagement of youth around the world is vital to the continued operation of charitable and not-for-profit enterprises.”

Public Attitudes towards Corporate Philanthropy

A recent Canadian poll conducted by Harris/Decima demonstrates that people feel strongly about corporate philanthropy. Nearly three-quarters of Canadians (72 per cent) are more inclined to volunteer, fundraise, or donate to local charities provided their employer supports these initiatives.

“Canadians have long recognized and appreciated the efforts of the companies that support and sustain the very communities in which they operate,” said Marcel Lauziere, President and CEO, Imagine Canada. ”The Scotiabank global Bright Future program demonstrates the pride and commitment of Scotiabank and its employees to the communities it serves, but more importantly to the causes that strengthen and enrich quality of life around the world.”

The Scotiabank Bright Future program comes at the beginning of the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteerism. Information on the program can be found on the Bright Future website at www.scotiabankbrightfuture.com.

The Scotiabank Bright Future Poll was conducted by Harris/Decima via teleVox, the company’s national telephone omnibus.  A total of 1,030 Canadians were surveyed from December 16th to December 19th, 2010.  Results are accurate to within +/- 3.1% 19 times out of 20.

For details on the programs outlined above and for more information, see BACKGROUNDER: SCOTIABANK BRIGHT FUTURE PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAM