To mark International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean Bahamas contributed to one of the nation’s leading programmes for adolescent and teenage girls and young women - the after school leadership and development programme S.T.R.A.W. (strengthening, transforming, restoring, affirming young women) Incorporated ™ Centre for Young Women©.
As a part of the bank’s corporate outreach and in recognition of International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean locations across the region donated to select organisations benefitting women and girls as a way to honour women in the communities where their banks operate.
Managing Director Marie Rodland-Allen stated that the bank selected S.T.R.A.W. Inc. because of a strong belief in investing in future generations.
“This year’s theme is, ‘Make it Happen,’ so we decided we would partner with an organisation that is already known for positive coaching and making things happen for young Bahamian women,” explained Mrs. Rodland-Allen.
“We are impressed with the organisation’s determination to prepare and empower young women to succeed in their personal and academic lives. CIBC FirstCaribbean values strong female leadership; currently, 73% of our managerial staff are women, so we appreciate and salute S.T.R.A.W. Inc.’s mission,” she added.
S.T.R.A.W. Inc. Founder and Director, Therena Cunningham stated that the organisation is happy for the contribution and will use every penny improving programmes for young women.
“We are very happy to partner with CIBC FirstCaribbean and are appreciative of the donation,” said Ms. Cunningham. “Corporate contributions allow us to make certain that our programmes remain relevant and this gift will assist us in training our volunteers, retooling and restructuring our programme after the annual review and launching our newest programme aimed toward 6th graders preparing for high school.”
CIBC FirstCaribbean also participated in S.T.R.A.W. Inc.’s Annual Girls Leadership Conference©, held at the Melia Resort Friday, March 13th. Beulah Arthur, Corporate Treasurer for the bank hosted a seminar on the importance of starting early in fiscal responsibility for more than 200 teen girls from public and private high schools throughout New Providence and the Family Islands.
Mrs. Arthur spoke to the girls on the importance of setting life goals and developing a plan to achieve them. She stressed prioritizing life goals and organising them into short, middle, and long term timelines to achieve financially stability.
Noting that the ambitious attendees all had plans to further their education, Mrs. Arthur advised starting a savings account dedicated to college and emergency needs. She warned the young women to “save now for college to ensure you are able to go,” admitting the reality that the cost of college today can be prohibitive. She urged those who are determined to go to college to begin a savings plan and be proactive in assisting their parents in making their college dream a reality.
The teenage attendees also learnt that money management was about more than money in the bank. She emphasized the importance of having insurance to protect assets such as home, car, health and life. Furthermore, she advocated the students begin contributing to a pension plan with their very first job to ensure their futures.
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 2,900 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 its distinct business lines, CIBC Retail Markets 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
