PITTSBURGH, April 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The PNC Financial
Services Group (NYSE: PNC) today launches its 15th anniversary
celebration of PNC Grow Up Great®, announcing an
additional $150 million to extend the
program that supports high-quality early learning for young
children. The program is now a $500
million initiative benefitting 40 markets.
"The workplace of tomorrow will require skills and knowledge we
can't begin to imagine today. As a Main Street bank, we recognize
that we have an important role to play in helping ensure that all
children have the opportunity to acquire and strengthen the skills
they need to succeed so that our communities prosper," said
William S. Demchak, chairman,
president and chief executive officer of The PNC Financial Services
Group. "I join with my PNC colleagues in sharing the pride in all
that has been accomplished through PNC Grow Up Great. In this
celebration year, the time is right to extend our support and
prepare our future leaders for success."
"Fifteen years in and we know the best is yet to come thanks to
the support of our employees, along with the terrific
collaborations we've embarked on with Fred Rogers Productions,
Sesame Workshop and National Head Start Association," said
Sally McCrady, president and chair
of the PNC Foundation. "We look forward to making an even greater
impact by helping more families, teachers and others inspire the
love of learning in our youngest children."
In addition to the increased funding, details of the year-long
celebration include:
- Launching the "Great Big Book Drive." For the first
time, PNC invites customers and other community members to join us
in donating books and playing a role in helping children succeed.
Books can be dropped off at PNC branches now through April 30. The books will be distributed to early
learning organizations across PNC communities.
- Extending the alliance with DonorsChoose.org. PNC
is extending its alliance with DonorsChoose.org, an online charity
that connects individual donors with classrooms in need, by
awarding another $5 million grant
from the PNC Foundation to help preschool teachers obtain
high-quality resources and learning experiences for their students.
From now through May 31, the PNC
Foundation will match, dollar-for-dollar, donations that support
pre-K and Head Start teachers' project requests in the PNC
footprint listed on DonorsChoose.org, subject to restrictions and a
maximum dollar amount. For specific guidelines on the match
component, visit DonorsChoose.org. In addition, approximately
52,000 PNC employees will receive a $25 gift card funded by the PNC Foundation, which
allows them to award the funds to a DonorsChoose.org project of
their choice. To date, the PNC/DonorsChoose.org alliance has
benefitted more than 630,000 pre-K and Head Start students.
- Awarding $6 million in focused
grants. Each PNC regional market will receive up to
$150,000 in incremental grants from
the PNC Foundation. These grants are designed to support the
specific needs of learners from birth to 3-years-old;
community-based educational experiences for families with young
children; or professional learning and skill-development for
current or future early childhood educators.
- Doubling Grants for Great Hours. PNC provides
employees with 40 hours of paid time off each year for Grow Up
Great volunteerism. Employees could previously earn grant credits
up to $3,000 each year to be awarded
to a partner early learning organization. For this year, PNC
is doubling that amount up to $6,000.
To date, employees' volunteerism has resulted in $6.6 million in grants.
"PNC and Fred Rogers Productions share the vision that kids come
first, now and always," said Paul
Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions.
"We're proud of our longtime collaboration, and together we're
creating a roadmap that ensures children have the tools they need
to thrive from the very beginning. Congratulations to our
Pittsburgh neighbors on 15
extraordinary years of Grow Up Great."
Since 2004, Grow Up Great has focused on helping to prepare
children, especially underserved children, from birth to age 5, for
success in school and life. The initiative goes beyond the
classroom, supporting learning and social-emotional development of
children at home and across communities by also providing free
resources and tools to parents, guardians, caregivers and
neighborhood organizations.
Access to high-quality early childhood education and resources
is critical. Research shows that quality early education reduces
dropout rates, poverty and crime while improving the skills of
tomorrow's workforce.
Highlights of PNC Grow Up Great's impact over the last 15 years
include:
- Awarded nearly $160
million in grants through the PNC Foundation to support
young children in the communities we serve.
- Encouraged families, caregivers and teachers to inspire
a love of learning through educational resources and experiences
for more than five million children.
- Demonstrated leadership by leveraging our relationships
with the business community, policymakers and other key
stakeholders to elevate discussions about the importance of access
to high-quality early childhood education.
- Donated employee time, skills and expertise in
support of the mission. Through Grow Up Great, PNC employees have
contributed more than 850,000 volunteer hours and 1.2 million items
for use in classrooms and the personal well-being of young
children.
Throughout the year, PNC will continue the anniversary
celebration with additional initiatives and events continuing to
support the efforts of early childhood education champions – the
teachers, experts, caregivers and parents committed to building a
foundation for success.
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from
The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports
organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities
in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its
philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community
and economic development, which includes the arts and culture.
Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004,
PNC has created a bilingual $500
million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from
birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the largest
diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its
customers and communities for strong relationships and local
delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of
lending products; specialized services for corporations and
government entities, including corporate banking, real estate
finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset
management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
CONTACT:
Marcey Zwiebel
(412) 762-4550
media.relations@pnc.com
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SOURCE PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.