Caisse Desjardins du Lac-memphrémagog holds first Youth VIP Scholarship soirée
The Caisse Desjardins du Lac-memphremagog demonstrated its plans to make youth a real priority last Tuesday by holding the first edition of the "Youth VIP Scholarship Soirée", an event gathering nearly 400 young people from the region aged 12 to 35.
This is a first for the financial services co-op, which greeted the young people on the "green carpet" at the sold-out Vieux Clocher de Magog to enjoy a festive evening with comedian Phil Roy. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Caisse and Fondation Desjardins scholarships, and the draw for a $1,000 scholarship. In total, more than $15,000 was handed out to young people in the MRC, from high school to university, to support their studies and their academic success.
"Today, we want to support our young people in managing their finances and everything they do in life more than anything,” said Patrick Gravel, Executive Director of Caisse Desjardins. “They are our successors and we must give them the means to reach their ambitions."
Gravel had announced, upon his start as head of the Caisse last January, that youth would be among his top priorities. Youth projects were already numerous at the Caisse, but they will be further developed and new initiatives such as Tuesday's will also be put in place to give them a place of choice within the financial institution.
Among the main youth projects initiated or supported by the Caisse are: the Desjardins Student Retention Fund, the Scholarship Program, and the School Caisse offered in a dozen schools in the Memphremagog MRC, the La Ruche School student caisse, the Desjardins Youth at Work program, the Community Development Fund, and donations and sponsorships to organizations working for youth, as well as the My Finances, My Choices Program.
The Caisse also launched the #Fondationdesjardins Awards on October 15. These awards are intended for school and community stakeholders who wish to obtain financial assistance to carry out a project with kindergarten, elementary, or high school students. The winners are determined by a vote of Desjardins Group officers and employees.