Greensboro, NC, August 30, 2019 - Recognized for its generous contributions to Greensboro, StepUp Greensboro was awarded a 2019 Lighting the Way Award and $75,000 grant by the SunTrust Foundation.

 

The SunTrust Foundation’s Lighting the Way Awards recognize select nonprofit organizations that work to build self-sufficient families and more financially confident communities through financial education, financial counseling, career readiness/workforce development and small business/entrepreneurship. 

 

“The SunTrust Foundation is proud to recognize and support our local nonprofit partners that empower and strengthen the communities they serve,” said Stan Little, president of the SunTrust Foundation.“ StepUp Greensboro is making a meaningful impact with their programs to improve the financial well-being of the people who need it most.”

 

StepUp Greensboro is one of 36 nonprofits across the Southeast and Midwest presented with a 2019 Lighting the Way Award from the SunTrust Foundation, which gave a total of $2.7 million in grants to these nonprofits. 

 

“We work with individuals by providing them a weeklong class in which they learn application skills, resume writing, strategic thinking, conflict resolutions, values, ways to communicate the criminal background, best interview practices and much, much more,” said StepUp Greensboro Director of Programs Anthony Bass. “We believe that everyone, no matter his or her background or status in life, deserves an opportunity to become a successful, productive member of society.”

 

StepUp Greensboro assists people who are unemployed and underemployed, homeless, broken or those who simply need refresher courses to obtain gainful employment. StepUp Greensboro Bridge programs also offers a 36-week LifeSkills Class and several other “bridge” programs that cover everything from Character Development to Money Boot Camp to computer classes.

 

“With the $75,000, we are able to provide work clothes and shoes for individuals, bus passes, class materials, case managers, employment counselors, and meals for classes — things many of us take for granted in our day to day lives,” Bass said. “The Bridge Programs, specifically LifeSkills Class consists of adults and their children, and one of the main things we want people to know, and what we try to demonstrate to them, is there is still hope and they can get to a place in their lives where they are enjoying their lives versus constantly worrying and struggling.”

 

About SunTrust Foundation

The SunTrust Foundation is committed to SunTrust Bank’s (NYSE: STI) purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being by engaging with local and national organizations to advance financial confidence. Grants and activities focus primarily on financial education, financial counseling, career readiness and small business/entrepreneurship, in addition to local community grants. The SunTrust Foundation supports American Red Cross disaster relief efforts and contributes as a United Way Global Corporate Leader. Established in 2008, the SunTrust Foundation has proudly provided grants totaling more than $170 million throughout the United States.