Students at Lambton College, Wilfrid Laurier, and the University of Windsor named 2019 TD Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champions

(Mississauga) March 11, 2019:  Student teams at Lambton College, Wilfrid Laurier and the University of Windsor have been named the 2019 TD Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Champions by Canada’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and program supporter TD Bank Group. Both teams will now move on to the national level of competition taking place May 8, 2019 at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Vancouver.

The Enactus team at Lambton College was recognized for building a food production and wholesaling business across three communities in Zambia, Africa, moving farmers up the value chain and creating a thriving local economy. Students at Wilfrid Laurier University developed waste-free compact tablets of shampoo, conditioner and soap as a replacement for single-use hotel toiletry bottles called, Earth Suds. Students at the University of Windsor tailored their CityThrive program, a 10-week mentorship program empowering youth and at-risk youth to start their own microbusinesses, to address the unique needs of newcomers to Canada.

The Lambton College team have trained 37 entrepreneurs on how to run their businesses, who have created 102 local jobs. Through their pilot, the Enactus team at Wilfrid Laurier has diverted hundreds of plastic bottles from landfills and has big plans to expand. CityThrive have already helped 30 individuals become entrepreneurs, generating nearly $125,000 in revenues.

 

“Entrepreneurship plays an essential role in the long-term economic success and sustainability of our country,” said Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada. “This challenge helps us promote entrepreneurial growth across Canada and helps student entrepreneurs of tomorrow develop innovative ideas that benefit communities across the country.”

“I’d like to congratulate this year’s champions of the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge,” says Valerie Picher, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations, TD Bank Group. “Through their ideas and ventures these champions can help address important social, economic and environmental issues being felt in communities across Canada. As part of TD’s corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, we are proud to support Enactus Canada which is helping to create a generation of business leaders who are passionate about building a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.”

The TD Entrepreneurship Challenge is a national competition empowering post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach entrepreneurial skills to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Since 2007, 17,048 students have delivered over 2,191 entrepreneurship projects, exposing 114,899 people to entrepreneurship as a viable career path.

Student teams demonstrated the impact of their entrepreneurial projects to panels of business executives on March 8 in Mississauga as part of the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition – Central Canada.

ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, a national charity and the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 3,498 post-secondary students led 275 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast, positively impacting over 28,000 lives. As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.

About TD Global Corporate Citizenship

TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The Ready Commitment TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident – not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/thereadycommitment

À propos de la responsabilité sociale à l’échelle mondiale de la TD

La TD est déterminée depuis longtemps à enrichir la vie de ses clients, de ses collègues et de ses collectivités. Dans le cadre de sa plateforme d’entreprise citoyenne, La promesse Prêts à agir, la TD vise un don aux collectivités d’un milliard de dollars canadiens (775 millions de dollars américains) au total d’ici 2030 dans quatre domaines essentiels pour ouvrir les portes à un avenir plus inclusif et durable : Sécurité financière, Planète dynamique, Collectivités inclusives et Meilleure santé. Par La promesse Prêts à agir, la TD aspire à relier ses activités, ses initiatives philanthropiques et son capital humain pour aider les gens à se sentir plus en confiance, pas seulement par rapport à leurs finances, mais aussi par rapport à leur capacité à atteindre leurs objectifs personnels dans un monde en évolution. Pour en savoir plus, visitez : www.td.com/lapromessepretsaagir

Media inquiries:
Heather Reinsborough
TD Bank Group
Heather.Reinsborough@td.com
416-413-3433