Scotiabank, which is celebrating 50 years of providing banking and financial services in the Virgin Islands during October, made its annual contribution to student scholarships at the University of the Virgin Islands during a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on Thursday, Oct. 10. Scotiabank’s donation for 2013 was $20,000. That brings the total amount of its contributions to UVI scholarships to $291,500. The bank made its initial gift to UVI in 1986.
Photo: On hand for Scotiabank’s presentation of a check for $20,000 to the UVI Scholarship Fund were, from left, UVI President Dr. David Hall, student scholarship recipient Devon Williams and Scotiabank Marketing Manager Sadie Taylor-Clendinen. The presentation was made during a St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event hosted by Scotiabank.
Four UVI students are this year’s Scotiabank Scholarship recipients. They include accounting major Devon Williams and management major Kahdijah Lee from the St. Thomas Campus, and marketing major Rochella Davis and management major Aliyah Parris from the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix.
“We are proud to have helped countless families in the Virgin Islands who have put their trust in Scotiabank,” Scotiabank USVI Vice President Lawrence Aqui said of the bank’s donation and its related community involvement.
“We plan to continue helping our community members become financially better off by providing relevant solutions to their unique needs for the next 50 years and beyond,” Aqui said. “This includes supporting important causes and organizations, such as UVI, that are instrumental in shaping the youth of tomorrow.”
UVI President Dr. David Hall was on hand to accept the donation along with Devon Williams, representing this year’s scholarship recipients. “Thank you very much for this continuing gesture of support,” Dr. Hall said. “As was indicated, this is not a one-time thing. Every year we’ve been receiving support from Scotiabank for our scholarship fund. In our Administration and Conference Center we have a plaque that recognizes this ongoing contribution. We will be adding the names of our newest student recipients to this plaque.”
Hall said the contribution represented an investment in the present and the future of the U.S. Virgin Islands. “When young men and women can receive support so that they can achieve higher education, then there is no limit to what they can do, he said. “I want to thank Scotiabank for its generosity and for sending the message that this is a University that is worth investing in and that we have bright, dedicated students who are worth investing in. If more followed your lead we would transform this territory in many, many ways.”
UVI’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dionne V. Jackson also expressed her appreciation for the bank’s support for the University. “Our continuing partnership with Scotiabank is a fine example of how local institutions can provide support to UVI students. Relationships like this allow the University to continue its mission of preparing students for careers that lead to personal success while contributing to the territory’s growth in the future. We are extremely grateful for Scotiabank’s continued support and encourage other entities to partner with us in similar fashion.”
The presentation took place at the Scotiabank’s Red Hook Branch, where the bank’s Marketing Manager Sadie Taylor-Clendinen noted that the bank has served the U.S. Virgin Islands since 1963, when it opened its first office in Market Square. It offers a full range of retail banking and selected commercial services through five branches in the territory. Information on Scotiabank is available from Marketing Manager Sadie Taylor-Clendinen at (340) 715-9605 or via e-mail at sadie.clendinen@scotiabank.com.
For more information on ways to support the University of the Virgin Islands and its students contact UVI Director of Major Gifts Mitchell Neaves at (340) 693-1046 or send e-mail to mneaves@uvi.edu.