Toronto, ON (Thursday, March 11, 2010) – George Brown College’s “Students In Free Enterprise” or SIFE team has been named the 2010 HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge Regional Champion by national charitable organization Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) and proud program supporter HSBC Bank Canada.

All Ontario and Quebec based SIFE teams were judged by live panels of business professionals, and regional champions were announced on Monday March 8th in Toronto at the 2010 ACE Central Canada Regional Exposition.

The SIFE team from George Brown College stood out to the judges because of their dedication to teaching developmentally disabled individuals the importance of being financially literate. The team’s “Solid Ground” program is a custom tailored workshop series to engage and educate participants on their personal financial management skills. The program promotes positive financial decision making through goal setting, building credit, understanding bills and budgeting. Available to participants at no cost, this program provides increased knowledge and confidence as well as tangible results including an average weekly savings of $30 per person involved.

“Being named a HSBC SIFE Financial Education Regional Champion is a turning point for our team. It’s the first step in making the transition from good to great,” explains Mick Theodore of SIFE George Brown. “This award serves as a catalyst for empowering a population that not only deserves opportunity, they want it. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences for my team and my life.”

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. The George Brown College team will now move on to the national level of competition taking place in Calgary on May 11th.

“This team’s efforts serve as a great example of the financial education movement our students are leading across this country,” explains ACE President, Amy Harder    . “I would also like to thank HSBC for being instrumental in allowing ACE to lead this national initiative.”

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

Mick Theodore
President, SIFE George Brown
647.302.2210
hm.theodore@gmail.com

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