PNC Bank is not simply in the community to just assist with deposits and withdrawals. It has taken the time to make contributions to the city’s education as well as perform other outreach. The work of PNC and its employees contribute to the education of adults and children.
“We launched PNC Grow up Great in 2004 as a corporate-wide philanthropic focus to help enhance early learning so children arrive to kindergarten ready to learn—particularly in challenged communities in which we serve,” said Corinna Ladd, PNC Regional President of Northern Indiana. “PNC Grow Up Great is now a $500 million commitment. Locally, this has translated into tens of thousands of dollars of grants and other supplementary support to enhance learning opportunities for preschoolers in LaPorte County.”
Over time, the bank has developed and supported additional programs.
“For the LaPorte YMCA, our funding over the years has helped enhance educational programs, purchase iPads for preschool classrooms and fuel donations by PNC employees to support preschool resources such as children’s books, essential school supplies and even hats and mittens,” Ladd said.
The foundation also worked to help others during the pandemic.
“Most recently, through our PNC Foundation COVID-19 Rescue Grants, we were able to provide significant support to the LaPorte YMCA,” continued Ladd. “The pandemic brought this crisis to the forefront as many centers closed, but some essential workers still needed childcare. Then, when centers did reopen there was significant disruption for families that many centers struggled financially.”
Even before the pandemic began, PNC was working hard to provide learning experiences for younger children.
“Prior to COVID-19, PNC hosted special in-person learning experiences for preschoolers and caregivers such as ‘One World, One Sky’, a mobile planetarium which has brought a multilingual learning adventure to local preschooler centers,” she concluded.
‘One World, One Sky’ was led by Elmo and Big Bird in a partnership with Sesame Street. It was a creative way to engage children in science. Another traveling exhibit was the PNC Mobile Learning Adventure. It frequents the LaPorte County Fair and is staffed by PNC employee volunteers. The exhibiting provides learning activities for preschoolers, their families, and their caregivers.
PNC’s work model encourages their employees to give back to their communities.
“Our policy permits employees to be paid up to 40 hours a year for volunteerism supporting PNC Grow Up Great activities, and we have recently expanded that policy to include approved racial and social justice organizations in our markets as well,” Ladd said. “ Through the spirit of volunteerism, our employees have been able to drive meaningful impact at organizations like the YMCA and other United Way Greater LaPorte partner organizations.”
Encouraging civic engagement is important to creating active community members. This is also an important piece of education, because the more a city cares about politics, the more those policies will serve them.
“We also empower our employees to have a pulse on what our neighborhoods need and therefore to be active in the community,” Ladd said with pride. “Several of our local leaders, including Kevin Gould, Sandy Smith and Jeffery Smith, have been or are currently active on several local boards such as the United Way of Greater LaPorte County, Dunebrook and Junior Achievement.”
PNC Bank gives back to LaPorte through encouraging education, aiding families with childcare needs, and by incentivizing its workers to give back as well.
To learn more about PNC Bank, visit https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking.html. To learn more about La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, visit https://laportepartnership.com/.
