PNC Grow Up Great program effort aids Putnam Head Start program

Representing PNC Bank, Greencastle Branch Vice President Amy Trusty (holding check, left) presents a check for $6,000 from the PNC Grow Up Great program to the Putnam County Head Start program, represented by Nathan Woodard, who said Head Start will use the funds for classroom dividers to help define areas within its space at the Area 30 Career Center. Funds may also be used for other educational opportunities, along with the possibility of acquiring laptops for the classroom. Also on hand for the recent presentation are Head Start staff and teachers (from left) Pam Wade, Connie Thomas, Shawn Goldsberry, Laura Badolato, Ashley Ross and Brittany Lawson.

Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE

Thanks to PNC Bank and the efforts of its employees, the Putnam County Head Start program has received a check for $6,000 to use for furthering educational opportunities locally.

The funds were donated recently through the PNC Grow Up Great program, a $350 million, multi-year initiative that began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age five for success in school and life. To date, the program has served approximately 2.3 million children.

Through the project, PNC emphasizes the importance of the first five years of a child’s life, which research shows is critical to long-term achievement. Approximately $90 million in grants have been distributed to Head Starts and other organizations that support early childhood education.

Locally, Head Start is expected to use its $6,000 grant to fund classroom dividers to help define areas within its space at the Area 30 Career Center, Director Nathan Woodard as well as other educational opportunities, including the possibility of acquiring laptops for the classroom.

Greencastle PNC Branch Vice President Amy Trusty explained that PNC encourages employee involvement in the Grow Up Great effort through a policy that permits up to 40 hours a year of paid time off for volunteerism.

The Grants for Great Hours program allows an employee to volunteer for up to 40 hours within a 12-month time period at a qualified nonprofit early education program and earn a $1,000 grant that can be donated to the school. Groups of employees may also volunteer as a team and apply for a $3,000 grant.

Locally, the Greencastle PNC Bank branch team started volunteering last year, with the assistance of branches in PNC’s Indianapolis West region, were able to complete enough hours to earn $6,000 in grants for the Head Start organizations in Greencastle and Cloverdale. They are working on finishing one more $3,000 grant for the 2016 cycle.

One of the team’s efforts involved moving a mountain of mulch taller than the volunteers for landscaping efforts, Trusty laughingly recalled.

“We love volunteering our time to the kids and the facilities at both Head Start locations,” Trusty said. “We have done everything from reading to the kids, making crafts, assisting with the yearly carnival, chaperoning field trips, organizing closets, cleaning the facility and providing financial educational classes for the parents of the children.

“With Grow Up Great, we are there to volunteer our assistance in anyway we can,” she added. “We look forward to continuing our efforts with Grow Up Great at the Head Starts in Greencastle and Cloverdale for years to come.”