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Ping Pong for a Great Cause
The 5th Annual Scotiabank Pongapalooza at SPiN Toronto in Support of First Book Canada Raises a Record $45,000 to Get Books to Kids in Need
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 24, 2016) - SPiN Toronto hosted a night of epic ping pong in celebration of literacy with the 5th Annual Scotiabank Pongapalooza, in support of First Book Canada. The annual event, sponsored by Scotiabank, raised a record-setting $60,000 with a net sum of $45,000 going to support First Book Canada's efforts to provide children in need access to brand new books across the country.
"Scotiabank believes in supporting organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their full potential, which is why we are so proud to sponsor Scotiabank Pongapalooza," said Gord Hyland, District Vice President, Toronto North District at Scotiabank. "We want to thank all the teams for coming out and making the event such a special night, supporting the important work of First Book Canada."
Thirty-six teams of four, each headed by a Canadian author as Honourary Captain, battled it out for the 2016 Scotiabank Pongapalooza Cup, while a crowd of enthusiastic spectators cheered them on. After several rounds of fiery competition, RBC Capital Markets' The Bat Men, with Captain Tanis Rideout (Above All Things, McClelland & Stewart), proudly claimed the title of 2016 Champion. Amidst the battlefield of swinging paddles and stray balls, guests were able to bid on amazing silent auction items, play recreational ping pong, enjoy SPiN's amazing hors d'œuvres, and cool off with Sapporo Beer.
"This year's Scotiabank Pongapalooza was very special as it marked the 5th anniversary of the event and broke a new record when it came to our fundraising total for the evening," said Tom Best, First Book Canada's Executive Director. "What started as a small, fun event with a frivolous theme, has rapidly become a boisterous evening of complete mayhem and very competitive ping pong. We are so grateful to our corporate and event sponsors for their generous support, the 40 + authors who took the evening off to be honourary team captains, lots of enthusiastic volunteers and a fabulous organizing committee. We are already looking forward to next year's edition."
About First Book Canada
First Book Canada provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy -- access to books. By making new, high quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book Canada is transforming the lives of children and elevating the quality of education in the country. To date, First Book Canada has distributed over 4.5 million new books to children in need across Canada. All funds raised in Canada go to programs serving Canadian children from low-income families. For more information, or to sign up to get books, visit us at www.firstbookcanada.org and follow our latest news on Twitter and Facebook.
About Scotiabank
Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 million to help our communities around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 89,000 employees and assets of $920 billion (as at January 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS.TO) and New York Exchanges (BNS.TO). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.
