– In its 16th year, the annual ride has raised $120,000 to send children with cancer to camp. 100 per cent of proceeds from the ride go to charity, thanks to the generous support of Scotiabank – 

August 14, 2017 (Toronto, ON) – On Sunday, hundreds of cyclists from across Ontario participated in the Ride for Karen, an annual charity cycling event which raises money to support programs for children with cancer and their families. Thanks to support from Scotiabank, 100 per cent of the $120,000 raised this year will go directly to Camp Quality, Camp Oochigeas and Camp Trillium.

The event began at Markham District High School, where riders chose between 100km, 160km and 200km courses, which passed through Markham, Aurora, Newmarket, Uxbridge and along the shores of Lake Simcoe.

“At Scotiabank, investing in our communities has been a focus for 185 years. Our goal has always been to help create a better life for people in the communities we serve,” says Phil Smith, Managing Director & Head, Debt Capital Markets and Equity Capital Markets at Scotiabank. “Young people are our future leaders, and the Ride for Karen is doing important work to support children with cancer and their families. We are proud of the commitment, hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers and participants.”

The ride was founded by Kirk and Kris Tobias as a tribute to their mother, Karen Tobias, who passed away from breast cancer. Now in its 16th year, Ride for Karen has raised more than $2,500,000 million to help build and furnish new cancer care facilities, provide much-needed resources for cancer support centres and send kids with cancer to camp.

“Karen was a devoted mother, grandmother and nurse who dedicated her life to taking care of others,” says Ride for Karen co-founder, Kirk Tobias. “She couldn’t fathom a child going through all of the cancer treatments she herself was facing and would have loved the joy that the camps provide. We are proud to honour her memory by continuing to help others.”

About Ride for Karen

Started in 2002, Ride for Karen is an annual cycling event that is held as a tribute to the life and legacy of Karen Tobias and to raise money for charities that help people living with cancer, and those who care for them. Over the past 16 years, Ride for Karen has raised over $2,500,000 million which has been used to help build and furnish new cancer care facilities, provide much-needed resources for cancer support centres and send kids with cancer to camp.

About Scotiabank

At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their full 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 2016, Scotiabank contributed more than $70 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 over $921 billion (as at April 30, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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For more information:

Kay West / Erin O’Driscoll
Paradigm Public Relations
416-416-5209 / 416-413-5193
kwest@paradigmpr.ca / eodriscoll@paradigmpr.ca

 

Erin Truax
Global Communications, Scotiabank
416-933-2592
erin.truax@scotiabank.com