Les Arnelien, Branch Manager for TD Canada Trust announced a $12,000 donation to The Health Foundation's Education and Scholarship Program. This brings TD Bank Financial Group's total contributions for this scholarship program to $138,000. Because TD works with The Health Foundation on other projects as well this brings the total of their contributions to $161,000.
"The Health Foundation's Education and Scholarship Program was launched in 2002 with a generous contribution and a long-term commitment from TD Bank Financial Group, and we are very pleased that this partnership continues to this day," said Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation.
"Thirteen years ago The Health Foundation wanted to start an education and scholarship program for employees and they approached TD Bank Financial Group for funding. TD thought an education program had merit and for thirteen consecutive years since then TD Bank Financial Group has provided scholarships for educational courses that contribute to the professional development of nurses or other practicing caregivers in our health region," said Les Arnelien, Manager for TD Canada Trust Yorkton.
"The TD Bank believes in education and in giving back to the communities where we do business. This program allows us to do both of those things and to make a difference in the quality of care available to the people of this area," continued Mr. Arnelien. "Since TD Bank Financial Group and The Health Foundation started this program in 2002, there have been 278 awards totaling $257,071."
"It is rewarding to see that this program does improve the quality of care that can be provided," said Mr. Arnelien. "This is why we have continued our financial support for thirteen consecutive years; we can see this program provides results, it improves our local healthcare."
"The Health Foundation is very grateful to TD Bank Financial Group for the generous and consistent support to the Education and Scholarship Program," said Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation. "It is fair to say that without the support of TD Bank our education program would not exist. It is exceptional that TD has provided this level of support for thirteen consecutive years."
The Health Foundation's Scholarship Fund awards approximately $24,000 a year to help further the training and education of health care staff in east central Saskatchewan. The TD Bank Financial Group contributes $12,000 annually to fund 50% of the awards.
"We are really pleased to have learned that an added benefit of this program is that in some cases it has made it a little easier to recruit healthcare staff to work here. Most health regions do not have an education program like this one. This education program is a supplement to what the province and health regions ordinarily do," said Mr. Fisher.
