GTA students lauded for plans to “Save the World”

Ontario students responded to CA challenge to think philanthropically

TORONTO, April 23, 2010 – Two teams of Ontario students – Giulia Pizzuto, Cristina Rossi and Patrick Kalinowski of St. Elizabeth Catholic High School in Thornhill and Anas Ayaz and Mehnaaz Bholat, both of York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto – have won the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario’s second annual Save the World contest, which asked students to come up with innovative ways to make the planet a better place. These teams had ideas that came out on top in a contest that asked students to come up with business cases for revolutionary ideas for making the world a better place.

In total, there were 20 high school submissions and eight from universities. The high school students’ winning idea was Scribbles for Success, which will provide underprivileged students in developing countries with the school supplies needed for a complete educational experience.

The winning university submission was ParkWizard, an online venture that looks to liaison drivers looking for affordable /convenient parking and homeowners who wish to generate some extra income.

The winners received $10,000, with up to $5,000 going towards making the students’ ideas reality and the extra $5,000 going towards anything the winners care to spend it on.

The entrants were selected by a panel of expert judges – CAs from the world of business and not-for-profits – who evaluated the ideas to see which ones would provide the most ‘bang for the bucks’ in terms of helping the community and saving the world.

“It was exciting to watch all eight of the presentations today. Each one was very well thought-out and an incredible amount of preparation was put into the ideas,” said Cordie Jagt, CA, a contest judge and Associate Director, Career Information with the Institute. “As judges, we all agreed that every proposal was feasible and had the right ingredients to be implemented, regardless of whether they won or not. We were so inspired to hear what the youth of today have planned for tomorrow. We believe that the winning teams had the best combination of sustainability, innovativeness and feasibility.”

"The hard work our team put into developing Scribbles for Success taught us determination, organization and teamwork,” said Giulia Pizzuto. “Our initiative will now have the opportunity to flourish, benefiting students in our community and around the world on a social and environmental level. Our success would not have been possible without the support of our teachers, principals and the Ontario CA Institute for providing us with this opportunity and experience of a lifetime."

"The Save the World Competition was a great opportunity for us to showcase our idea and get some constructive criticism from business professionals,” said Anas Ayaz. “We went from having a mere idea to having $5,000 and professional expertise to make the idea a reality thanks to the Institute. We can't wait to go out there and change the world. All budding entrepreneurs should definitely apply to this competition because it is one of a kind."

Save the World is an important part of the Rule the World student recruitment ad campaign that points out achieving the CA designation can be a valuable first step on the road to personal career success and business conquests. The campaign, launched by the Institute, speaks to students in terms that would capture their attention and help dispel any stereotypes that might still exist regarding the CA profession. The campaign, launched in September 2008, will continue through 2011.

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About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario’s 33,000 Chartered Accountants and 5,000 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession’s internationally recognized standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct. Ontario CAs contribute greatly to international and domestic investor confidence in the soundness of the Ontario and Canadian economies. The Institute’s website is: www.icao.on.ca and the student website is www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca.

For more information, please contact:
Perry Jensen
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
69 Bloor St. East Toronto, Ontario M4W 1B3
416-969-4271 or 1-800-387-0735 ext. 271
pjensen@icao.on.ca