SOUNDS of laughter, joy and exuberance radiated from the TrenchTown Reading Centre on October 25, as children from the surrounding communities gathered to compete in the annual spelling bee hosted by volunteers from the Scotia Wealth Management team.

Founded in 1993, the TrenchTown Reading Centre serves as a complete, non-profit community library and education centre for members of this inner-city community and surrounding areas.

Now in its 21st year of operation, the centre offers a wide array of programmes, including youth and adult literacy classes, creative arts and summer school lessons. It caters to students who range in skill from gifted to challenged.

For the past five years, Scotia Wealth Management has been a strong supporter of the centre, hosting the annual spelling bee competition. The competition, which sees more than

80 children ages five to

16 contend for the coveted first-place spot in their division, attempts to build confidence and self-esteem.

Ishinea Porter, student of Iris Gelly Primary and first-place winner for the Green Team, explained how winning the spelling bee made her feel.

“I am very proud of myself for doing so well. Last year I came second on my team and this year I worked hard to come first. Next year I want to win all over again,” she said.

In addition to continued support of the spelling bee, the Scotia Wealth Management unit also provided the centre with a reading pavilion in 2010. The pavilion is an expansion of the existing TrenchTown Reading Centre, and allows the facility to accommodate up to 100 children for their daily after-school reading and homework sessions.

“One of the most pervasive problems that we face as a nation is bleak literacy rates among students,” noted Simone Walker, director, marketing programmes, Scotiabank.

“Children are our future, and teaching them to read provides an avenue of development to unlock their true potential. The Scotia Group remains committed to supporting the education of our youth towards the development of our nation.”