TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership program
        recognizes 20 outstanding Canadian youth with awards worth $60,000
         each, with a contribution of more than $11 million to date

    TORONTO, May 15 /CNW/ - Researching a cure for cancer, addressing social
concerns such as bullying and the environment, fighting child poverty and
exploitation, and developing age-appropriate sexual health workshops for youth
are just a few of the accomplishments of 20 distinguished high-school and
Cégep students awarded the TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community
Leadership this year.
    The scholarship program, one of Canada's most prestigious, celebrates
community leadership and academic excellence. Many of Canada's brightest, most
committed students were recognized at a ceremony today in Ottawa for their
outstanding accomplishments and contributions to communities across Canada and
globally.
    Selected by a panel of prominent Canadian Senators, business
professionals and past award recipients, the 2007 scholarship winners receive
full post-secondary tuition, $5,000 a year toward living expenses and an offer
of summer employment at TD Canada Trust for up to four years - a total value
of up to $60,000 each.
    "At TD Canada Trust, one of the things that amazes us every year is how
many young people are leading important, at times transformative, activities
in their communities and they're doing it with dedication, passion and hard
work," says Tim Hockey, Co-Chair, TD Canada Trust. "This year, TD received
3,800 applications from impressive youth across the country. TD is privileged
to work with the 20 talented individuals who were chosen as scholarship
recipients and help provide a solid financial foundation for them to pursue
their dreams in a post-secondary environment and ultimately continue to make a
positive impact in their communities. We are proud to be making a difference
together."
    TD Canada Trust will donate more than $1 million to the scholarship
recipients, part of its commitment to youth education that will total more
than $2.5 million in 2007.
    Demonstrating a passion for issues of local, national and global concern,
as well as academic excellence, the 2007 scholarship recipients were selected
from more than 3,800 applicants and hail from across Canada including British
Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
    "I am extremely proud that my accomplishments are being recognized by TD
Bank. For me, giving back to my community and helping others is the most
important gift I can give to those around me, said Kayla Cornale, 2007
Scholarship Recipient. "Receiving the TD Canada Trust Scholarship for
Community Leadership will allow me to pursue my post-secondary education,
while giving me the freedom to concentrate on the things that I am most
passionate about, including my community involvement."
    "When I evaluate the extraordinary achievements of the individuals who
have been awarded the TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership
this year, Canada's future looks very promising indeed," said Senator Donald
Oliver. "The young people in this distinguished group represent a
cross-section of Canadian youth who are dedicated to making a difference in
their own communities and abroad. The achievements they have attained to date,
are hopefully just the beginning."
    A complete list of recipients can be found at
www.tdcanadatrust.com/scholarship. Some of this year's exceptional
achievements include:

    Ted Paranjothy of Winnipeg, MB, who volunteers on experimental cancer
research projects, seeks to develop non-toxic alternatives to chemotherapy at
the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology. Ted co-authored two articles in the
biomedical journals, Cancer Therapy and Biology (2006) and Drug Resistance
Updates (2007). He received a provisional patent on an anticancer agent with
the ability to induce cell death in leukemia, breast, lung, and prostate
cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.

    Amena Ali, of Montreal, QC, who believing education is the key to a
successful future and inspired by a visit to India in 2004, started the
Abhilasha Project. Helping raise funds for the Abhilasha School for the blind
and handicapped in India, the group is currently planning fundraising
activities to reach their goal of $10,000 in the next year.

    Caitlin Ohama-Darcus of Vancouver, BC, who expressing her passion for the
environment, designed and implemented "Passport to Sustainability." The
program educates students from kindergarten to grade 6 on ways they and their
families can act in environmentally responsible ways. She founded an
environment club and developed ways to make her school's recycling programs
sustainable.

    Emily Cordeaux of Toronto, ON, who through her involvement with the AIDS
Committee of Toronto (ACT) and Plan Canada's Youth Advisory Council, designed
and implemented a sexual health workshop for students, called "Sex It Up. "As
a youth delegate at the XVI International AIDS Conference, she learned how
other countries were promoting messages on safer sex.

    Florind Polo of Toronto, ON, as part of his extensive involvement in
Amnesty International, Florind organized a national youth committee in Eastern
Europe to advocate for human rights and the proper treatment of children in
schools.

    Sonya Heleno of Shelburne, NS, who, as co-founder of a program designed
to help children in developing countries, established Kits for Kids throughout
elementary and secondary schools, as well as the entire community of
Shelburne.

    Selected from more than 3,800 applications, regional judging panels
interviewed a shortlist of 63 finalists to choose the 2007 winners, led by the
scholarship program's Executive Director Dr. Jane Thompson.
    The 2007 judges included Dr. Jane R. Thompson, Executive Director, TD
Canada Trust Scholarships; Bryan Tisdall, President and CEO of Science World;
Joanne Cuthbertson, Chancellor, University of Calgary; Ruth Ramsden-Wood,
President, United Way, Calgary and Area; Senator, the Honourable Donald H.
Oliver, QC; Dr. Miriam Rossi, Chair, Board of Trustees, Harry Jerome
Scholarship Fund; Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director, Canadian Children's
Book Centre; Diane Veilleux, Executive Director, UQAM Foundation, Manon
Vennat, Principal, Manon Vennat & Associates; Senator, the Honourable Ethel
Cochrane; Dr. Bonnie Neuman, Vice President, Student Services, Dalhousie
University; and former TD Scholarship winners Vanessa Gilbert (2005), Naheed
Dosani (2004), Janet Chow (2003), Jordan Milne (2000), Dionne Pohler (2000),
Sherrie Lambe (1997).

    About the TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership Program

    The TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership is open to all
students in their final year of high school, and who will be attending
post-secondary school during the following year. Applications for 2007 will be
available this fall at TD Canada Trust branches, high school and CEGEP
guidance offices and online at www.tdcanadatrust.com/scholarship.

    About TD's Community Giving

    TD Bank Financial Group focuses its community giving on children's
health, literacy and education and the environment. The major flagship
programs within these areas are: TD Children's Hospital Fund, TD Friends of
the Environment Foundation and the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, TD
Canadian Children's Book Week, TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community
Leadership, and the TD Summer Reading Club. In addition, through the support
of our customers and employees, TD is involved with a host of national,
regional and local programs in support of diversity, arts and culture and
other causes. In 2006, TD donated $33 million to more than 1,600 charities and
not-for-profit organizations across Canada.

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release will be
    available later on the CNW Photo Network and archived at
    http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: GCI Group on behalf of TDBFG, Elynn Wareham,
(416) 486-5910, ewareham@gcigroup.com; Matt Roth, (416) 486-5911,
mroth@gcigroup.com; Sarah Van Lange, (416) 486-5918, svanlange@gcigroup.com;
On-site at scholarship event in Ottawa: (416) 697-5414, ewareham@gcigroup.com;
TD Bank Financial Group contact: Christa Poole, (416) 308-0177