MARS CANADA AND INDSPIRE ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP TO DRIVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS

New bursary aims to help students of all levels reach their full potential 

BOLTON, ON, May 5, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Mars Canada and Indspire announced a new partnership aimed at furthering Indigenous education, including a bursary which will provide $450,000 in financial awards to Indigenous students pursuing a post-secondary education.

Through a three-year partnership, Mars Canada will directly support Indspire's annual Soaring and Building Brighter Futures programs, advancing career development opportunities and offering needs-based bursaries to Indigenous students to further their education. This new initiative will unite Indspire's mission of educating, connecting, and investing in Indigenous people so they can reach their highest potential, with Mars' Purpose of building a better world tomorrow, starting today.

"With this impactful commitment, Mars Canada illustrates their steadfast support in creating opportunity and access to education in Indigenous communities," says, Mike DeGagné, President & CEO, Indspire. "We are happy to have developed a strong partnership with Mars Canada and look forward to working together to champion greater investments in Indigenous Peoples and the future of Canada."

"At Mars, we're committed to building a better future where everyone thrives and can reach their full potential," says Chantal Templeton, General Manager, Mars Canada. "There is a significant need to drive greater equal opportunities for Indigenous students especially in access to education in Canada. This partnership and new bursary aim to support this endeavour, helping to create a more inclusive future for all."

The Mars Canada Award for Indigenous Students will be open to students nationally across Canada beginning May 1, 2022.

For further information, and for students interested in applying, please visit: https://indspire.ca/programs/students/bursaries-scholarships/.

About Indspire

Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. With the support of its funding partners, Indspire provides financial awards, delivers programs, and shares resources so that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students will achieve their highest potential. In 2020-2021, Indspire provided more than $20 million through 6,245 bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students across Canada.

About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, M&M's^®, MILKY WAY^®, SNICKERS^®, TWIX^®, ORBIT^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, SKITTLES^®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS^®, COCOAVIA^®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl^®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. 
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SOURCE Mars Canada

Mars Canada, Shannon Denny, [phone], [email protected]; Indspire, Brandon Meawasige, [phone] x2350, [email protected]