Toronto, ON (Wednesday, March 3, 2010) – Memorial University’s “Students In Free Enterprise” or SIFE team has been named the 2010 HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge Regional Champion by national charitable organization ACE and proud program supporter HSBC Bank Canada.

All Atlantic based SIFE teams were judged by live panels of business professionals, and regional champions were announced on Friday February 26th in Halifax at the 2010 ACE Atlantic Regional Exposition, proudly supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

SIFE Memorial stood out to the judges because of their dedication to providing financial education for those of all ages including; grade six students, high school students and senior citizens. One highlighted accomplishment from their efforts is the FLAGS program, created to protect the financial independence of Canadian seniors. This program has expanded to all of Atlantic Canada with over 370 participants and 25 sessions taking place in 12 towns.

“It truly is incredible to attend the Regional competition and to see the amazing work that SIFE teams are doing day in and day out in Atlantic Canada” says SIFE Memorial President, Liam Kelly. “Our team represented Memorial University with passion and pride, and I could not be more proud of our accomplishments at the competition.”

The end goal of this annual challenge is for SIFE teams to help improve the ability of others, in their community, to make informed and positive financial decisions. Teams have been provided the necessary tools and training from ACE to develop and implement their extensive projects to help others. SIFE Memorial will now move on to the national level of competition taking place in Calgary on May 11th.

“HSBC Bank Canada has been instrumental in leading this national initiative and we thank them for their continued support”, explains ACE President, Amy Harder    . “I would also like to thank ACOA for their support in Atlantic Canada; with their assistance we continue to provide a platform for young easterner’s to explore entrepreneurship as a viable career option.” 

About ACE
Founded in the mid-1980s, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) is a national, charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. ACE delivers a team-based program called Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and an individual-based program, the Student Entrepreneur National Competition. These programs provide university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of outreach projects and business ventures that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow. Last year, ACE students created 600 jobs, logged 260,000 volunteer hours, impacted 63,000 people, and generated over $40 million in economic activity. ACE is currently established on over 50 post-secondary campuses across Canada.

Contact:
Jaime Szegvary
Communications Consultant, ACE
416.619.8994
jaime@acecanada.ca     

Liam Kelly
President, SIFE Memorial
709.690.8282
liam@sifememorial.ca

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