SunTrust Teammates Make Financial Education a Top Priority
Submitted By W. Steven Allen
Senior Vice President, SunTrust Bank
Private Wealth Management Legal Specialty Group
SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.
“W
e believe we have a responsibility to help the
people and organizations in our community thrive
and prosper. We live here. Our children go to
school here. We are part of our community, and that’s why
we are so committed to what we do and are proud of our
legacy of engagement.”
E. Jenner Wood, III, Chairman, President,
and CEO SunTrust Bank Atlanta Division
At SunTrust Bank, our mission is to help people and
institutions prosper. One of the ways we fulfill on that
mission is by helping strengthen the communities in
which we live and work. SunTrust teammates participate
in Solid Gives Back, SunTrust’s corporate citizenship
program. The program makes it easy and rewarding for
our teammates to give back to their local communities by
providing them with 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer.
Teammates Enrich the Community
In the past year, SunTrust teammates in Atlanta have
volunteered more than 39,000 hours in our community, with
more than 65 teammates currently serving on more than
100 non-profit boards. SunTrust’s Atlanta teammates give
their time to more than 400 metro Atlanta organizations.
One of the specific ways SunTrust directs its efforts is by
teaching people about money, and Atlanta teammates
are no exception. This past year, SunTrust’s Atlanta
team delivered 85 financial education training sessions
for 19 partner organizations, benefitting more than 1,200
individuals.
Investing in Our Future
Because SunTrust believes financial education is at
the foundation of economic opportunity, SunTrust
donated $1 million to Operation HOPE’s Financial
Literacy Empowerment Center at the Martin
Luther King Center. And, SunTrust operates eight
Youth Banks in schools throughout metro Atlanta
because we are committed to helping Atlanta’s youth
understand the basics of managing and saving money,
in order to become financially enabled citizens.
To launch 2012 fundraising efforts, SunTrust teammates
recently donated over 25,000 school supply items for more
than 220 metro Atlanta schools as part of its commitment
to the United Way.
SunTrust’s partnership with the United Way is another
demonstration of our firm commitments. SunTrust was
recently named a United Way Global Corporate Leadership
Partner, with a gift of $2.88 million from the SunTrust
Foundation, plus an additional $3 million pledged by the Bank
and its teammates to metro Atlanta United Way agencies.
The SunTrust Commitment to a Solid Financial Foundation
Our commitment doesn’t stop there. We believe a basic
understanding of money management is vital to helping
people grow and make a better life. SunTrust continues to
make financial education a priority by providing the resources
consumers need to create a solid financial foundation. One
offering is the Live Solid website, www.LiveSolid.com, which
provides hundreds of tools, calculators, articles and videos
to help people better manage their finances and life. And a
new site, The Facts About Banking, www.thefacts.suntrust.
com, teaches people about banking, and how to manage
their banking account.
For business owners, SunTrust works with businesses of all
sizes offering numerous educational programs – including
traditional and alternative financing options—to help business
owners prosper.
E. Jenner Wood, III, Chairman, President, and CEO
SunTrust Bank Atlanta Division at a recent Operation Hope
event
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
October 2011
Deeply committed to our hometown of Atlanta, SunTrust
is proud to continue to improve the quality of life in our
hometown. Investing in our communities is the SunTrust
legacy. There are few factors more essential to our physical
and mental well-being than the economic vitality and quality
of life in the communities in which we live. ■
The Official News Publication of the F