Finalists, judges honoured as Unsung Heroes programme ends

CIBC First Caribbean’s 10-year community flagship outreach Unsung Heroes programme, has come to a fitting end with presentation of signature coffee- table books here.{{more}}

At a short ceremony at the local branch of CIBC FirstCaribbean, a number of finalists and judges received coffee-table books of the Unsung Heroes programme. The books are expected to serve as lasting reminders of the outstanding project, which was initiated in 2003, and retired just a few months ago.

The Unsung Heroes programme was particularly special to St Vincent and the Grenadines, with nine regional finalists and three heroes during the programme’s 10-year run. The last finalist to etch his name on the history record was physically challenged eighty-four year old Edward ‘Uncle Fred’ Williams. The local hero for 2013, Williams was also named as one of three regional finalists, as the curtains officially came down on the programme in Barbados in October.

The Unsung Heroes regional programme was CIBC FirstCaribbean’s flagship corporate social responsibility initiative. Launched in 2003, the bank contributed over US $4 million in funding to the programme.

CIBC FirstCaribbean has now invested in a new initiative, the SickKids Foundation, a charity registered in the Caribbean. The bank’s donation will fund training for Caribbean nurses as part of the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative through the Centre for Global Child Health at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

With its donation, CIBC FirstCaribbean has been named the Nursing Training Partner for the project, and will provide $1,000,000 US (1 million) over the next seven years for the training of medical professionals who specialize in the care of paediatric patients affected by cancer, or blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease.