Midland States Bank presented the Greater Joliet Area YMCA with a grant of ten thousand dollars in support of the Y’s Teen Achievers program today. Senior Vice President of Banking Dan Stevenson was on hand to present the check to members of the Y’s leadership team, Jim Watts, Maurice Fears and Julie Wilkinson. Jeff Riley and Karla Guseman of Joliet Township High School—where the program is based—and special advisor Larry Weirs were also in attendance.
The gift will directly benefit Teen Achievers, a grant-based program that guides students on their path to graduating high school, attending college and achieving career goals. The rapidly growing program currently serves 130 students in the Joliet area—the most in program history. This spring, an estimated 40 students will embark on an annual out-of-state college road trip that gives students the opportunity to visit several esteemed universities.
As one of the nation’s leading nonprofit charities, the YMCA is committed to strengthening local communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Through its financial assistance and scholarship program, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA works to fulfill its mission of ensuring that its programs are available to everyone and no one is turned away due to the inability to pay.
The Midland States Bank Foundation was created to provide for the improvement of the general welfare, education and health in the communities where the bank operates and where its employees reside. Since its creation in 2011, the Foundation has contributed more than $500,000 to non-profit organizations throughout Midland’s footprint.
Pictured above (from left to right): Joliet Township High School’s Director of Strategic Partnerships Jeff Riley and Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Karla Guseman; Midland States Bank Market President Dan Stevenson; Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s Senior Development Director Julie Wilkinson, Executive Director of Teen and Young Adult Advancement Maurice Fears and President and CEO Jim Watts; and Director of School Partnerships at Lewis University Dr. Larry Weirs.
