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People's United Community Foundation Awards

March 25, 2015

PEOPLE’S UNITED COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS $5,000 TO LET’S GET READY IN PORTLAND, MAINE

PORTLAND, ME – The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced today that it has once again awarded a $5,000 grant to Let’s Get Ready in Portland.

Let’s Get Ready helps low-income high school students by providing free SAT preparation, admissions counseling, and other support services needed to enter and graduate from college. The classes, led by trained college student volunteers, offer the instruction, encouragement and inspiration that students need to succeed. Let’s Get Ready programs exist in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont and has served 22,000 since its inception.

“The support from People’s United Community Foundation has been critical to the success of Let’s Get Ready in Maine,” said Merle Nelson, Let’s Get Ready Maine Leadership Council Chair. “People's United was one of the first corporate foundations to invest in the program. We are truly grateful for their support and look forward to continuing the partnership.”

“Let’s Get Ready is helping to make college a reality for under-served Portland youth,” said Dan Thornton, Officer of People’s United Community Foundation and President at People’s United Bank in Southern Maine. “We are proud to support an organization that has a high success rate of college acceptance and transition among low-income high school students.”

Established in 2007, People’s United Community Foundation was formed to help support programs and activities that enhance the quality of life for citizens in the communities that People’s United Bank serves. People’s United Bank, founded in 1842 and serving customers from New York to Maine through a network of more than 400 branches, is the largest independent bank headquartered in New England. The Foundation places special emphasis on programs designed to promote economic self-sufficiency, education and improved conditions for low-income families and neighborhoods. The funding priorities of the Foundation include community development, youth development, and affordable housing.