Four local schools were awarded $5,000 for receiving the most votes in Investing In Youth contest
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Independent Bank kicked off their 2016 donation campaign, Investing in Youth with four local schools each winning $5,000. Throughout the year, employees are donating $1.50 every Friday to wear jeans, and the Bank is matching those donations for a total of $60,000 for 2016. The campaign is designed to help local schools through three different phases—academics, arts, and athletics. The contest began in February, and will continue through the fall. The first phase, which concluded March 7, assisted schools in funding academic programs. Phase two will begin in April, focusing on arts programs in schools, and finally, phase three will conclude the campaign by helping to support school athletics. All three phases of the contest will be held on Independent Bank’s website, IndependentBank.com.
For the first phase, the public had the opportunity to nominate a local school February 1-15, 2016 that wished to use the funds for academic programs or needs. Qualification criteria included a school’s location being in a county that Independent Bank serves, or within 10 miles of a branch, as well as it being considered a 501 (c) public, private, or non-profit charter school. There were a total of 106 qualified schools nominated, and just over 44,000 votes cast during the first phase. The voting period took place February 22 through March 7, 2016. Eligible voters had to be 18 years or Independent Bank older, and be a resident of Michigan for the votes to qualify. Voters were able to vote once per day for the entire voting period.
The winning schools in the academics phase were:
- Bad Axe Elementary
- Bay City Central High School
- Freeland Learning Center
- Woodworth Elementary in Leslie
“At Independent Bank, we know the importance of youth in our communities, and we take great pride in their achievements. As a community bank, we are honored to partner with these local schools in their efforts to expand and improve academic programs,” said President and CEO Brad Kessel.
Phase two of Investing In Youth will begin in April, focusing on supporting arts programs in schools.
Equal Housing Lender