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Four local schools were awarded $5,000 for receiving the most votes in Investing In Youth contest
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Independent Bank continued 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 began in April, focusing on arts programs in schools, and concluded May 16. All three phases of the contest will be held on Independent Bank’s website, IndependentBank.com/Investing.
For the second phase, the public had the opportunity to nominate a local school April 11-25, 2016 that wished to use the funds for arts 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 68 qualified schools nominated, and just over 31,000 votes cast during the second phase. The voting period took place May 2-16, 2016. Eligible voters had to be 18 years or 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 arts phase were:
- Freeland Middle School
- Bad Axe High School
- St. Peter Lutheran School in Hemlock
- White Pine Middle School in Saginaw
“We are thrilled that we have been able to continue helping local schools through our Investing In Youth campaign this year. Improving and expanding arts programs is important for our schools, our students, and our communities,” said Independent Bank Marketing Director, Tricia Raquepaw.
Phase three of Investing In Youth will be held this fall, focusing on athletic programs in schools.
