SunTrust Foundation awards grant to support Lee financial literacy program
Pictured here are (front row, l to r) Mike Cooper, first vice president of SunTrust Bank, Chattanooga; Dr. Suzanne Holt; Erin Looney, director of student success and retention; Jonathan Lambert, Lee student and LEAP participant; (back row, l to r) Angela Conner, vice president of community development, SunTrust; Marian Dill, director of financial aid; Jim Vaughn, East Tennessee region president; Michaelia Black, assistant director of institutional risk and compliance; Vanessa Hammond, director of grants.
Photo Courtesy of the Lee University Public Relations Office
SunTrust Foundation recently rewarded a $20,000 grant to support the development of Lee University’s financial literacy program. The check was presented to Lee on Wednesday, Feb. 1, according to a media release.
Lee’s LEAP, the Learn Engage Achieve Program, will integrate financial literacy learning with its new Student Success Center. The program will teach more than 3,000 students how to better manage their finances to help ease financial stress while in school and in their futures.
“We know that college expenses can cause financial stress, and we want to help relieve some of that so that students can move forward and earn their degree," SunTrust Region President for Eastern Tennessee Jim Vaughn said.
LEAP provides services to 140 students who are low-income, first generation college students or those who have a disability.
LEAP and the Success Center staff also partner with the Financial Aid office to offer financial literacy activities in a variety of formats. These include workshops and events, promotion of financial literacy resources, staff training and student participation incentives, according to a media release.
“We see financial literacy training for our students as a short-term investment with long-term benefits,” Director of LEAP Suzanne Holt said. “Lee University is extremely grateful to SunTrust for undergirding us in this endeavor.”
Jonathan Lambert, a senior accounting student and LEAP participant, believes that support of the workshops excursions and service learning opportunities have allowed him to thrive while at Lee.
“Having a coach to walk through life with you makes a world of difference,” Lambert said. “I know that my coach is there for me to provide me with wisdom in my studies, advice on achieving my goals and encouragement to make the most of my experience at Lee University.”
The SunTrust Foundation is dedicated to the company’s purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being by engaging organizations to advance financial confidence. Grants and activities focus primarily on financial empowerment, but also include education, health and human services, civic improvement and cultural growth.
Established in 2008, the SunTrust Foundation has proudly provided grants totaling more than $112 million throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
