Enactus SFU nets fourth consecutive Western Canada Regional Championship title

Students from Enactus SFU competed at the 2015 Western Canada Regional Championships.

A team of five Simon Fraser University students has netted the title of Enactus Canada’s Financial Education Challenge Western Canada regional champion – the fourth consecutive year a team from Enactus SFU has taken home the title.

The team, consisting of Beedie School of Business undergraduate students Jenny Chen, Laura Chu, and Rhythm Tang, along with coaches Vameesha Patel and Leslie Chow, impressed the judges with their presentation on the Enactus SFU Hunger Actions program.

They will now progress to compete against regional competition winners from Western, Central and Atlantic Canada at Enactus Canada’s National Exposition, to be held from May 11 to 13 in Toronto.

“The experience of Enactus competitions is amazing – the teams spend months working together perfecting their presentations with guidance from alumni and faculty,” says Beedie School of Business undergraduate student and President of Enactus SFU Lara Ahmad.

Each year the Enactus Canada Regional Expositions take place in Atlantic, Western and Central Canada, bringing together student, academic and industry leaders to celebrate the achievements of Canada’s future leaders and entrepreneurs. Competing students are tasked with showcasing how their community outreach projects and business ventures are making a real impact in Canada and beyond.

The Financial Education challenge, sponsored by Capital One, recognizes Enactus programs and its members for developing and delivering projects that teach relevant financial skills.

Hunger Actions is a four-week interactive workshop series that empowers low-income families in Metro Vancouver with the knowledge to lead a healthy lifestyle on a tight budget. This year alone the program has empowered over 51 families, helping them save an average of $40 within four weeks by adjusting their eating habits.

As well, two other Enactus SFU teams competed at the regional championships, earning second runner-up in the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge and TD Entrepreneurship Challenge.

“I am so proud of the results from the Regional Exposition this year,” says Ahmad, who will travel to Toronto as coach of the Enactus SFU National Exposition Team. “I could not have asked for a better group of people to represent Enactus SFU and the success of our programs, and we are already looking forward to the National Exposition.”

Enactus SFU is the University’s chapter of Enactus, a global organization that works to improve the livelihood of others and the community through innovative programs, entrepreneurial action and collaboration. Over the past five years, Enactus SFU has dedicated more than 73,000 hours to improve the lives of more than 6,600 individuals.