As the heartbeat of TD’s community program, employees’ spirit of volunteerism comes to life in so many ways. Select a community below for examples of TD employees making a difference throughout the country.
Through our Volunteer Grant Program, employees who volunteer more than 40 hours a year to a single registered charity are eligible to receive a $500 grant for the organization.
Through this program, TD gave more than $258,000 to 439 organizations in 2008. Since the program began, TD has donated more than $900,000 to 1,058 organizations on behalf of TD employees. We also recently opened this program to our retirees so they too can be recognized for the contribution they are making to their communities.
British Columbia/Yukon
TD Lightning Dragon Boat Team: For the eighth year in a row, our TD Lightning team entered the Paddle for Kids fundraiser for the BC Children’s Hospital. They generated a record $14,300, once again being the top fundraiser among the 20 teams participating.
Habitat for Humanity: More than three dozen TD employees showed their handiwork skills by taking part in the building of a 27-unit townhouse project in Burnaby.
Big Bike Ride: Twenty-nine employees, family members and friends in Duncan pedalled their way to a $2,400 donation by participating in the Heart and Stroke Big Bike Ride event.
Jail & Bail fundraiser: Several TD employees in Victoria were arrested and thrown in jail! But it was all for the very best of causes — raising money for the BC Children’s Hospital. With the help of co-workers, friends, family and the community, bail was raised to release the employees as part of a fun week of fundraising that also saw some of our employees shave their heads.
Alberta
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS): In Calgary, TD Insurance employees, along with their families and friends, hit the bowling lanes to benefit their hometown’s BBBS chapter. Our team of 50 — the largest showing of any single company — raised roughly $4,000.
HIV Edmonton — Walk for Life: A group of enthusiastic Edmonton employees from our TD Pride Network participated in the HIV Edmonton Walk for Life to raise funds to help fight HIV/AIDS.
Ride for Juvenile Diabetes: TD had an incredible 44 teams and 183 riders participating in the Calgary Ride for Juvenile Diabetes. Roughly $47,000 was collected, accounting for 51% of all funds raised at the event.
Shoreline Cleanup: All across Alberta, employees volunteered to help make the environment a better place during the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. For example, in Medicine Hat, two dozen employees pulled trash from the local creek; in Three Hills, several employees travelled some 40 miles to the Red Deer River to help tidy it up; and in Grande Prairie, 32 employees cleaned a section of the Wapiti River shoreline.
The Mustard Seed Ministry: This agency in Calgary provides food and shelter to the homeless, and our Business Development team from TD Waterhouse volunteered one afternoon to help pack lunches and clean the facility, among other things.
Medicine Hat Food Bank: To support this community food bank, local TD employees held a bake sale and raised $300 on top of a $1,000 donation by TD.
Volunteer Power
Wanting to make a real difference in kids’ lives, Heather Larke, Regional VP and Market Leader, TD Waterhouse, enthusiastically donates her time and talent to a cause that gives one big lift through “one little ticket.” She volunteers as board president of the Kids Up Front Foundation in Calgary. Through their Can’t Use Your Ticket? program, Kids Up Front collects tickets that people can’t use for concerts, theatre and sporting events and ensures the seats are filled with kids who could really benefit from the experience. Heather and her TD Waterhouse colleagues also recently organized a charity art auction for Kids Up Front at an annual client appreciation event through which they raised funds through sales of unique pieces of art by many local artists.
Hospital adds much needed equipment due to TD gift
The city of Grande Prairie and the northern region of Alberta are currently growing at a phenomenal pace. The demand for quality healthcare and the pressures to provide this service are at an all-time high. That led TD to pledge a gift of $25,000 in 2008 to the QEII Hospital Foundation to help purchase much needed specialized equipment for the hospital. Enhancing the specialized equipment that is currently available at the QEII Hospital will not only diversify the types of services offered to patients but will also increase the level of health care provided locally, which will reduce the number of people who will need to be sent to Edmonton or Calgary for these services.
Saskatchewan/Manitoba
Habitat for Humanity: Employees from Saskatoon took a day away from helping customers secure financing for their home purchases to help Habitat for Humanity build a new home for a very deserving family.
Winnipeg Christmas Cheerboard: Over the past seven years, TD employees in Winnipeg have collected in excess of 33,000 toys and $300,000 in cash donations on behalf of less fortunate children and families of Winnipeg, as part of the Christmas Miracle drive. More than 70 TD volunteers participated in the 2008 campaign.
Eliminating Poverty Breakfast: Anne Taylor, District Vice President, Winnipeg, along with local dignitaries, including the Premier, and others helped to serve a hearty breakfast to approximately 800 adults and children at the 2nd Annual Eliminating Poverty Pancake Breakfast at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre.
TD gift to University of Regina benefits students and the environment
Students at the University of Regina keen on tackling the environmental and energy challenges facing our country will benefit from a $265,000 donation from TD. The gift will be used to create the TD Bank Financial Group Bursary in Energy and Environmental Studies. The bursary program, which begins in 2010, is available to full- or part-time students who require financial support and covers 50% of the student’s tuition fees per semester, up to $13,000 per year.
Supporting youth and the University of Winnipeg
In keeping with our long-time support of literacy and education, in 2008 we announced a gift of $150,000 to establish the TD Tuition Credit Bursary at the University of Winnipeg. The TD Tuition Credit Bursary will be awarded to students as early as the fourth grade and provide a financial incentive for kids to stay in school and “earn” their way toward a post-secondary education at the University of Winnipeg.
“Through this partnership, we can help Winnipeg’s inner-city become a thriving, vibrant community,” stated university president Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. “It is especially important to instill the dream of higher education at an early age so that disadvantaged kids can picture and strive for a better future for themselves,” added A World of Opportunity campaign chair, R.M. (Bob) Kozminski.
Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
TD Securities Employee Charity Auction: Getting to pick a new hairstyle for Investment Banking’s Pat Meneley was one of the hundreds of exciting and unique auction items up for bid as part of the annual TD Securities Employee Charity Auction in Toronto. For the past 11 years, TD Securities has been hosting the event, with proceeds going to children’s charities in Canada. The auction is a big part of the team’s culture, and over the years TD Securities has raised more than $4.4 million for local children’s charities, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto and Ronald McDonald House.
Community Week: More than 200 employees within our Wealth Management Technology Solutions group volunteered to support 18 charities during a dedicated week of volunteerism. They struck a committee to work with several agencies to identify volunteer activities. For example, employees sorted and packed 35,611 pounds of food and household items at the Daily Bread Food Bank; gathered three-quarters of a tonne of garbage at three separate TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup sites; and interacted with seniors, disabled adults and Alzheimer patients at various United Way-related activities.
Ride for Juvenile Diabetes: With 1,855 riders and nearly $540,000 in donations, we are extremely proud that TD won the Corporate Spirit Cup for the fourth consecutive year and helped the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada reach its Toronto goal of $2.4 million.
Chili Challenge: Talk about heating things up! To help collect funds for the United Way, a “chili challenge” was held by our Technology Risk Management & Information Security team at their office in Mississauga.
Regent Park Community Centre: Ten employees from TD Mutual Funds prepared and brought lunch to underprivileged children at this facility. Focusing on spending quality time with the children, our team also engaged in various fun activities with them, from making crafts to supervising basketball games.
Walking together With Heritage Toronto
Have you ever wondered about the story behind that building on the corner or the neighbourhood’s most infamous resident? Once again TD teamed up with Heritage Toronto Walks to sponsor free neighbourhood walking tours during summer 2008. Covering all areas of the city, the initiative encourages Torontonians to discover the city’s rich history and helps promote the conservation of our natural heritage.
“Thank you TD for encouraging us to get out into our communities and volunteering our time. I have been extremely pleased to be able to present a $500 cheque to my children’s school every year for my role on our parent council's fundraising efforts. This valuable donation has gone to a bursary to a graduating student with a focus on volunteerism in the community. What comes around goes around, I guess!” TD’s Lenore Klassen, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Small Business Challenge: In April 2008, Fanshawe College hosted the first annual TD Canada Trust Small Business Challenge. Sixteen teams representing students from the School of Business and Management presented business ventures to an expert panel of judges from TD Canada Trust, who were able to donate their time to encourage budding entrepreneurs.
TD Green Machines: For the past several years, a group of employees have formed the TD Green Machines team to participate in the Grand Bend Bike Tour, raising funds for multiple sclerosis.
Send ’em Off Smiling: TD employees in Kitchener-Waterloo raised funds for the SOS Send ’em Off Smiling program that helps local needy kids with free knapsacks and school supplies to make their first day at school more enjoyable. Other communities in Western Ontario have adopted the same program thanks to TD Canada Trust.
United Way Stair Climb: More than 200 TD employees volunteered their time and energy to climb up the 472 steps of One London Place, making the trek alongside other dedicated community members to generate $165,000 in donations.
Helping the Environment: In September 2008, more than 450 TD employees and their families volunteered in the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup in London. Over several days, volunteers collected garbage to make a big impact along river banks, ponds and lakes to enhance habitats.
Bowling for Miracles: TD staff volunteered their time to participate in the Children’s Miracle Network’s Bowling for Miracles. This event brought together the financial services community in London in support of the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario.
$500,000 for advanced surgical learning centre
TD made a special pledge of $500,000 in 2008 toward the completion of the Brent and Marilyn Kelman Centre for Advanced Learning at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). While the gift is local, its implications reach beyond the London region. The donation will help LHSC provide the best care for its patients while innovating for the world. Physicians from London, as well as from across Canada and around the globe, will train at the centre, learning the latest minimally invasive techniques that, among other benefits, promote quicker surgical recovery times.
“This commitment by TD Bank Financial Group will help enhance an environment that fosters the sharing of leading-edge surgical-training techniques,” says Dr. John Denstedt, Chief of Surgery, LHSC. TD has donated more than $1.9 million to the London Health Sciences Foundation since 1996.
Northeastern Ontario
Heart and Stroke Foundation: In Peterborough, a team from our branches and 29 TD Insurance employees climbed aboard the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s renowned Big Bike. After raising $2,000 for the foundation, our team pedaled themselves to a Team Spirit Award.
Equidae Stables: Home to the Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa Carleton Inc., 50-plus riders with varying disabilities were unable to start their riding lessons last winter due to heavy snow that collapsed the arena roof. Fortunately, no person or animal was injured, and the community rallied together to build an even better program for this much needed service. TD Canada Trust kicked off the fundraising with a local $5,000 donation, our employees pitched in funds and our local branch facilitated donations from surrounding communities.
North Bay Blooms: TD and its employees supported North Bay Blooms, a summer program with community cleanup nights, a series of best business gardens of the week and a sightseeing tour highlighting some of the community gardens.
Supporting the YMCA in Simcoe/Muskoka
A gift of $150,000 was made by TD in 2008 to the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka’s “Connecting 1 in 5” — a $16 million capital campaign that aims to double the number of people the organization serves by 2012. The YMCA offers a broad range of programs and services, from providing families with much needed child care to healthy lifestyle and wellness programs for a diversity of ages, abilities and backgrounds.
“We are very excited that TD has stepped up as the first financial institution to donate to our fundraising campaign and hope that their active corporate citizenship will encourage others to follow,” said Tom Coon, CEO, YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka. “Having the support of local businesses like TD will help us reach our goal of being able to serve one in every five residents in the area rather than one in 10, in particular children and youth.”
Let’s Build Kingston Together
The new K-Rock Centre in Kingston received an $80,000 donation from TD in 2008 toward the Let’s Build the Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre Together fundraising campaign. The K-Rock Centre provides a venue for sporting events, concerts and other entertainment functions. Our contribution is in line with TD’s long-standing commitment to supporting the environment: The building was designed to warrant a silver certificate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and the K-Rock Centre will feature a TD-sponsored information kiosk in the main entrance to educate visitors on its innovative structure and environmental benefits.
$250,000 for Sudbury’s Science North
The Northern Ecosystem area at Science North is set to undergo significant improvements thanks to a $250,000 investment from TD announced in 2008. Over the coming years, Science North will be creating an exciting new learning and visitor experience area, adding new exhibits, programs, lab areas and theatres highlighting lakes, wetlands, woodlands and the far north. “We are proud to partner with TD Bank Financial Group once again. Over the past 25 years a lot of money has been invested to expand the physical size of the buildings at Science North and Dynamic Earth,” said Jim Marchbank, Science North CEO. “Thanks to this generous contribution we can now begin to enhance and change the experiences within the walls of our science centre.”
Quebec
Green Sunday: The third annual Green Sunday in Montreal last June saw 200 employees, friends and family members, including 50 employees from TD Insurance, get together to plant 500 trees in the city’s Mount Royal Park.
Habitat for Humanity: For the second year, employees from TD Canada Trust and TD Insurance joined forces to help build a duplex for two needy families in the east end of Montreal.
Ride for Juvenile Diabetes: Participating in a friendly competition with other bank teams, an incredible showing of 610 employees in Montreal volunteered to ride stationary bikes and raised $168,000 for juvenile diabetes.
Environment Week: During one week in June 2008, eight Quebec City branches distributed in excess of 400 trees to customers and clients and signed up new monthly donors for the TD Friends for the Environment Foundation.
Joining forces with McGill University to cultivate leaders
McGill University and its students are the beneficiaries of a $1 million gift by TD in 2008, which is going to create the TD Fund for Leadership at the Desautels Faculty of Management. The Fund will support the MBA Global Leadership Seminar and the Undergraduate Leadership Seminar. These two programs are designed to promote leadership through collaboration and foster personal reflection and responsibility by exploring management processes for leading people and organizations.
“We hope these funds will inspire all students to reach even higher, both academically and personally, so they can lead and drive positive change in business and society both locally and internationally,” said Peter Todd, Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.
Atlantic Canada
Read to Me! Foundation: In 2008, TD supported this great hospital-based literacy program, developed to help families enrich their child’s early years. Delivered at 11 hospitals in Nova Scotia, the program presents parents with books and literacy resources at hospital bedside within 24 hours of the birth of their baby.
IWK Health Centre: The delight of tossing a pie at the boss was aptly used, once again, as a rewarding fundraiser. The spectacle was one of many activities organized by our TD Insurance office in Saint John to raise more than $5,000 for the Maritime children’s hospital, IWK Health Center. Staff also volunteered for the hospital’s annual telethon, taking phone pledges from all over New Brunswick.
Child Find: St. John’s area branches got together to support Child Find Canada by raising funds and joining the Moonlight Charity Walk.
Northrop Frye Literary Festival: Moncton-area employees were proud to support this four-day event last year, which promotes the pleasure and discovery of reading by bringing together authors with audiences of all ages.
