TORONTO, Feb. 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Tonight, at a special event at the Toronto
Board of Trade, RBC announced the three winners of the 2014 RBC Black
History Month competition:
$5,000 and a Me to We trip to Ghana: Kate Paisley, Weston Collegiate
Institute, who wrote about a pair of activists who have made an indelible mark on
society and inspired her to be the best she can be.
$2,500: Oyindasola Lagunju, Bur Oak Secondary School, who highlighted two female symbols of defiance whose acts of sacrifice
left a positive mark in history.
$1,500: Asha Gordon, Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School, who wrote about the contributions of two remarkable women who made their
voices heard and gave voice to others.
The event featured a stirring keynote address from Catherine
Chandler-Crichlow, Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence in
Financial Services Education.
"We need to ensure that today our youth are active participants in the
'innovation' agenda of our province", said Chandler-Crichlow. "RBC,
through its support for youth, continues to demonstrate it's commitment
to an innovation agenda across Canada."
The top twelve essays were all on display, and many of the top twelve
essayists and their families were in attendance along with essay panel
judges: Gerry McNeilly, Director of Ontario's Office of Independent
Police Review; Tanya Walker, 2013 Harry Jerome Award recipient; Kay
McConney, former Consul General for Barbados in Toronto; and Ainsworth
Morgan, founding Director of Pathways to Education and Vice Principal
at Nelson Mandela Public School.
"The history of African Canadians is so essential to the Canadian
narrative and an integral part of the broader Canadian story," said
Jennifer Tory, RBC regional president for Greater Toronto. "These
students have done a wonderful job of honouring our rich national
heritage."
Students from across the GTA entered their essays on how black Canadians
have helped to define Canada's diverse heritage and identity through
their achievements and contributions to the broader society.
Each Monday in February, you can read 3 of the top essays at rbc.com/essay, including the three scholarship winning essays on February 24.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) is Canada's largest bank and
one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization.
We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services
companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth
management services, insurance, investor services and capital markets
products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000
full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal,
business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in
Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please
visit rbc.com.
RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations,
sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed
more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and
community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in
sponsorships.
SOURCE RBC Royal Bank - Public Affairs & Community Relations
