Approximately 700 teenage girls are impregnated each year in the Bahamas with about 20% of them becoming pregnant again while still in their teen years.
In an effort to help address this trend, CIBC FirstCaribbean teamed up with the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resort International, through its “Vibes on the Island” event last weekend to support The P.A.C.E. Foundation’s quest for a new state-of-the-art facility for some of these unwed teenage mothers.
The bank, for the second consecutive year, signed on as a Gold Sponsor of the annual fundraising event. Trevor Torzsas, Managing Director of Customer Relationship Management & Strategy, stated that the partnership was a perfect fit for CIBC FirstCaribbean given the bank’s commitment to youth and education in the country and history with the P.A.C.E foundation.
“CIBC FirstCaribbean is actively involved in supporting a variety of charities around the Caribbean in countries we operate in,” said Mr. Torzsas.
“We are very proud to support Sandals Foundation this year again, in their excellent initiative ‘Vibes on the Island.’ Education, youth development and women’s empowerment are major tenets of the bank’s philanthropic mission and this initiative lends itself to all three. P.A.C.E. is an organization we have a strong history with as an ongoing corporate sponsor and we have long admired the organization for its exemplary work educating young women who need it most.” CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Bahamas Managing Director Marie Rodland-Allen echoed Mr. Torzsas sentiments, stating that it is the banks hope that the funds will fill a need in Bahamian society.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Sandals Foundation in support of P.A.C.E.’s mission of improving the lives of young women and children throughout The Bahamas,” said Mrs. Rodland-Allen.
“Young mothers are often forced to interrupt their education, reducing their ability to provide for themselves and their children. By teaming with Sandals to assist P.A.C.E. we hope to do our part in providing these teenage mothers with the support, tools and opportunities needed to better equip themselves for future lives and careers,” she added.
The proceeds of the event will refurbish a one-of-a-kind support center for P.A.C.E that will serve all their needs in a more centrally located facility. Chester Robards, Public Relations Manager at Sandals Resort said that “Vibes on the Island” is amongst the Sandals Foundation’s proudest initiatives and they are happy to have sponsors like CIBC FirstCaribbean who have supported from the beginning.
“We are always happy when we can partner with corporate entities like CIBC FirstCaribbean, who believe in helping us to carry out the work that we are helping P.A.C.E. to accomplish. We were overjoyed when CIBC joined us the first time, and even more so this time around as we prepare to help P.A.C.E. finish their new building. The well-being of these young women is incredibly important to the country. We and our partners are protecting the social fabric of the country through assisting the P.A.C.E. Foundation.” The event was held this past Saturday April 25th on Sandal’s Island and featured international artists Tarrus Riley and Chronixx.
Marie Rodland-Allen Managing Director of CIBC FirstCaribbean Bahamas, and Trevor Torzsas Managing Director of Customer Relationship Management & Strategy present a cheque to Sandals Resort International General Manager Gary Williams.
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
