In the spirit of Christmas, and the Boxing Day Parade, CIBC FirstCaribbean gathered leaders from15 Junkanoo groups at its Shirley Street headquarters for its annual donation presentations. The Junkanoo groups received donations again this year, a two-decade tradition, to help defray the many expenses involved in preparing for the Bay Street parades.
CIBC First Caribbean‘s Director of Treasury Balance Sheet Strategy and Management, Lakeisha Moss, says that the longstanding commitment to Junkanoo is a part of the bank’s efforts to give back to the community while upholding Bahamian culture and the arts.
“CIBC FirstCaribbean has a strong mandate throughout the company to be ‘First for Community’ anywhere that we operate,” said Ms. Moss. “Junkanoo is integral to Bahamian community and the Bahamian identity. We know that when we give to these groups every year we don’t just help to put on a spectacular event; we also help to preserve our culture, we assist in developing a creative space accessible for all Bahamians, and we support groups that are bringing the community together in a positive way.”
Bryan Adderley of Valley Boys Junkanoo Group stated that donations like CIBC FirstCaribbean’s are needed by Junkanoo groups in order to get the costumes to Bay Street. “Junkanoo can be a very expensive endeavour, whether you are an A or B group, it can cost upwards of $100,000. This donation will help to offset expenses and make finishing touches on our costumes. We are very appreciative of CIBC’s donation; it will be well spent.”
Kimsley Ferguson of the B Group Body of Christ Crusaders said that corporate donations are especially essential for smaller groups, for whom many expenses are covered out of pocket. “We have received donations from CIBC FirstCaribbean since 2004 and many of these times, being a self-sponsored group, they have found us in dire straits and in need of a last financial thrust like this to pull us out of the hole and into the clear. We are thankful for the fact that they are a culture-minded organisation and are helping the smaller groups who don’t have any sponsors at all.”
The recipient groups were, from the A category: One Family, Prodigal Sons, Roots, Saxons Superstars, and Valley Boys; and from the B category: Body of Christ, Colours Entertainment, Conquerors for Christ, Fancy Dancers, Foundations Junkanoo Group, Fox Hill Original Congos, Redland Soldiers, and Z-Bandits Junkanoo Groups.
About CIBC FirstCaribbean
CIBC FirstCaribbean is the largest, regionally-listed bank in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean serving over 500,000 accounts in 17 markets, through 3,000 staff, across 100 branches and offices.
The bank offers a full range of market-leading financial services in: Corporate and Investment Banking, Treasury Sales and Trading, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business and Credit Cards.
CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group. CIBC (TSX, NYSE: CM) is a leading North American financial institution serving clients in Canada and around the world. Through three distinct business lines, Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Wholesale Banking, CIBC provides a full range of products and services to almost 11 million individual, small business and commercial banking clients and meets the financial needs of corporate and institutional clients. CIBC is rated A+/Stable/A-1 by Standard & Poor's.
For more information about CIBC FirstCaribbean, visit www.cibcfcib.com
