Do You Have What It Takes? TD Canada Trust Wants to Hear from Canada's Future Leaders

TORONTO, Oct. 1 /CNW/ - Do you or others around you consider yourself a leader who has brought about positive change in your community? Are you considering a post-secondary education but are concerned about the financial burden it might impose? If so, TD Canada Trust invites you to apply for one of 20 TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership valued at up to $70,000 each.

Since launching the program in 1995, TD Canada Trust has awarded 280 recipients as part of its commitment to education.

"In 2010, TD Canada Trust's Scholarships for Community Leadership will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary as one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship programs of its kind in Canada," said Tim Hockey, Group Head Canadian Banking, TD Bank Financial Group and President and CEO, TD Canada Trust. "We're excited to discover which students are ranked among the "best of the best" for their ability to affect change while achieving academic excellence. Awarding each member of Canada's high school all-star team with a $70,000 scholarship is our way of celebrating their exemplary leadership on both fronts."

The program rewards students who demonstrate academic excellence and extraordinary community leadership in various areas such as environmental cleanup, the promotion of social justice, and the fight against child poverty.

"The ability to excel and maintain proficiency academically, coupled with a true sense of community involvement has always been the foundation for becoming a genuine leader," said Ted Paranjothy, a TD Canada Trust Scholarship recipient in 2007. "With TD's generous support, I am able to pursue my studies in microbiology and carry out biomedical research at the University of Manitoba and continue to use any of my free time to make a positive difference in my community, with little distraction from financial concerns. TD is helping me be a compassionate leader whilst developing my talents to the full."

Each scholarship is valued at up to $70,000, including full tuition at any accredited university or college in Canada, mentorship opportunities, $7,500 a year towards living expenses and a guaranteed offer of summer employment at TD for up to four years.

"We know these individuals will go on to do great things," added Hockey. "We are proud to play a role in helping them achieve their goals."

All applicants selected as finalists will be notified by mid-January 2010 and interviewed by a selected panel comprised of prominent Canadians in early February. Scholarship recipients will be notified soon after.

TD Community Giving: Making a Difference Together

Children's health, literacy and education, and the environment are the three primary areas of focus for TD's community giving. The major flagship programs within these areas are: TD Children's Hospital Fund, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, TD Canadian Children's Book Week, TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership, and the TD Summer Reading Club. In addition, through the support of our customers and employees, TD is involved with a host of national, regional and local programs in support of diversity, arts and culture and other causes. In 2008, TD donated $35 million to more than 2,100 organizations across Canada.

For further information: TD Bank Financial Group contact: Gregory Harrison, (416) 308-8597, gregory.harrison@td.com; GCI Group on behalf of TDBFG: Elynn Wareham, (416) 486-5910, elynn.wareham@gcicanada.com; Naz Araghian, (416) 486-7225, naz.araghian@gcicanada.com