Press Release
ING DIRECT Rewards Young Mentors from Youth Assisting Youth
October 2, 2007, Toronto, ON – Youth Assisting Youth (YAY) will today announce the recipients of the annual ING DIRECT Volunteer Mentor Scholarships. The financial scholarships reward young people who have volunteered their time to mentor at-risk youth within the Greater Toronto Area. Through YAY, children aged 6 to 15 are matched with youth volunteers aged 16 to 29 who commit to spending three hours per week with a child over the course of a year.
The recipients including, Sukru Akyuz, Manning-Daryl Heng and Arash Habibollahi, will be recognized tonight at a ceremony at the YAY head office in Toronto by Sally Spencer, CEO of Youth Assisting Youth and Mark Deep, Head of Marketing for ING DIRECT Canada.
"ING DIRECT is committed to helping underprivileged, at-risk youth locally and nationally. We are proud to support the Youth Assisting Youth organization and commend them for the positive contributions they are making in our community," said Mark Deep, Head of Marketing at ING DIRECT. "We congratulate the 2007 scholarship recipients and hope that both they and the young people they have supported will be able to build a stronger future through their involvement in this organization."
"One of the core philosophies at Youth Assisting Youth is that youth have the power and potential to make valuable contributions in their communities through mentoring," said Sally Spencer at Youth Assisting Youth. "We want to thank this year's award recipients and all of our volunteers for their passion and commitment to making a real difference in our community. The work that we do has helped so many at-risk youth learn and grow in a positive environment that leads to them to achieving personal and financial stability in their lives. As we work towards our goals, we are very fortunate to be aligned with ING DIRECT, who realize how the Scholarship program helps to encourage and promote volunteerism in youth."
To honour and inspire YAY mentors and the youth they support, two special guests have been invited to the awards ceremony. Davidson Elie Jr., president of iDRUM, an organization dedicated to cultivating and sharing the empowering aspects of percussion, will conduct a one hour, interactive empowerment session for the youth which focuses on achievement by overcoming obstacles through afro-percussion.
Also speaking at the ceremony is Gavin Bennett, a 2007 Youth in Motion Top-20-Under-20 award winner. Gavin had a desire to mentor underprivileged youth in his city of Brampton through a computer literacy training program. Gavin will speak to the audience about the importance of mentorship for personal growth and the benefits it offers to the community.
About YAY
Youth Assisting Youth (YAY) is a community-based program that matches youth volunteers, aged 16 - 29, in a one-to-one relationship with at risk children, aged 6 - 15. These children are experiencing social, emotional, behavioural or cultural adjustment difficulties. The goal of the organization is to provide a positive role model through a mentoring relationship. Since 1976, YAY's unique service has served over 15,000 children and youth. For more information, visit www.yay.org.
About ING DIRECT
ING DIRECT is Canada's largest direct bank with over 1.5 million customers and more than $23 billion in total assets. ING DIRECT offers high-value, simple-to-use products that help Canadians save their money by providing high interest rates on deposits with no fees or service charges and low rates on mortgages. Clients can bank with ING DIRECT 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at ingdirect.ca or by calling 1-800 ING DIRECT.
