"The enthusiasm and generosity of our employees have surpassed all of our expectations," raves David Tait, Managing Director in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Scotiabank takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously and this is one way of demonstrating our support to reduce/eliminate this dreadful disease affecting the Caribbean Region. Scotiabank is no stranger when it comes to rolling up our sleeves and lending relentless support on many community initiatives including youth programs, heart and stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS and so many more."

The Bank has shown similar energy in many neighboring countries like Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana. As a result of such efforts, the Bank was recently showcased for its tremendous goodwill at the Annual AIDS Conference held in Toronto this summer as well as by the Caribbean Tripartite Counsel and PANCAP - arms length agencies of the United Nations.

On December 1st - World AIDS Day 2006, we will be having a bake sale at both of our Branches in Provo and Grand Turk. We will also be asking customers to make a small donation. All proceeds will be donated to the National Aids Program in the TCI to specifically assist those people living with the disease. Currently, there are seventy-five individuals receiving treatment.

According to Cheryl Ann Jones, Coordinator - National AIDS Program, "Scotiabank has shown great initiative in the area of raising awareness with their staff. We were recently invited to host a staff information session to sensitize staff and to raise awareness on the disease. This is a proactive approach as opposed to our traditional efforts where we initiate contact with organizations."

"We embrace teamwork at Scotiabank. We recognize everyone has a responsibility to play when it comes to combating HIV/AIDS. The disease does not discriminate and we are pleased to be part of the solution along with the National AIDS Program in the TCI. We hope our efforts will inspire other private sector organizations to get involved" said Mr. Tait.