Regions Bank announced the release of its Social
Responsibility Report highlighting a diverse range of community
service initiatives throughout 2015. The report, titled “Doing
More,” shares the stories of some of the many outstanding
organizations Regions works with to strengthen communities and provide
financial advice, guidance and education.
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“We see corporate social responsibility as an opportunity to put our
mission to make life better into action,” said Grayson Hall, chairman,
president and CEO of Regions Financial Corporation. “Our associates give
their time and talent to support our ongoing efforts to promote
diversity and inclusion, to respond in times of disaster and to
encourage economic development and sustainability. We’re proud of these
accomplishments and hope they inspire others to continue to do more to
spark positive growth in the communities where we work and live.”
A video
library documenting Regions community activities throughout 2015 is
available on the Regions
Financial YouTube Channel. Examples of Regions “Doing More,”
highlighted in the report, include:
-
Doing
More to Provide Financial Education:
Manassas High
School in Memphis, Tenn., is one of more than 200 West Tennessee
schools where Regions offers financial education programs. For Regions
At Work® Coordinator Amy Cresswell, the Regions Senior
Institute program at Manassas holds a personal interest.
“Manassas
is in my neighborhood,” she said. “The average income level here is
less than half of the U.S. average, with 81 percent of the students
classified as economically disadvantaged. If we can do a little bit to
help the students move past the cycle of poverty and make better
financial decisions, that’s something of which I’m proud to be a part.”
“We
know the earlier you learn these skills, the sooner great habits are
formed,” said Manassas High School Principal James Griffin. “Regions’
programs have helped us set some things right and get our young people
on the track to become financially responsible.”
See more
of this
story on the Regions
Financial YouTube Channel
-
Doing
More to Increase Understanding of Disabilities:
Helen
Keller was born in 1880 in Tuscumbia, a small town in northwestern
Alabama. When she was 19 months old, she contracted a fever that left
her deaf and blind. With the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan,
Keller learned to read and write, graduated cum laude from Radcliffe
College and drew international acclaim for overcoming her
disabilities. Today, Keller’s great-great-niece, Keller
Johnson-Thompson, serves as vice president of education for the Helen
Keller Foundation. In that role, she shares the mission of the
foundation throughout the world and reaches students through a
successful outreach program.
“In today’s schools, you find
many children who are different – children who are put aside from
their groups, maybe because they have a disability,” Johnson-Thompson
explains. “These are kids who view themselves as outcasts until they
realize what Helen Keller overcame. And those who bully are able to
understand the human side of what Helen Keller endured.”
The
foundation provides this educational program with the sponsorship of
Regions.
“I believe supporting the Helen Keller Foundation
gives students the opportunity to understand what it’s like to walk in
the shoes of individuals with disabilities and to provide them with
respect,” said Kathy Lovell, Regions’ Americans with Disabilities Act
Manager. “First of all, it’s doing what is right, and it’s taking it a
step further and doing more for the community and the children.”
See
more of this
story on the Regions
Financial YouTube Channel
-
Doing
More to Enrich the Lives of Children:
Financial
Education Days at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Ind., combined
baseball and financial instruction for 850 elementary school students.
Along with a tour of the home of the Indians baseball team, the
Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, children participated in
“Scholars and Dollars,” a class in money basics led by Regions
associates.
Randy Lewandowski, the General Manager of the
Indians, says, “Anytime we can get players and kids together, you see
a little sparkle in [the kids’] eyes.” He adds that giving back to the
children and the community in this way is something the players look
forward to.
Thirty Regions associates taught the Scholars
and Dollars classes, providing lessons in financial fundamentals to
the students of two Indianapolis public schools, Rousseau McClellan
IPS #91 and Frederick Douglass IPS #19.
“When we continue
to hear how excited the students are, how they walk away feeling
really fulfilled, we know we’ve made a difference in these children’s
lives,” said Regions Area President Leslie Carter-Prall. “We are
impacting them in a number of ways, not only to explore and experience
the Indianapolis Indians’ Victory Field, but also giving them an
understanding of financial education so they can be productive
citizens in our community.”
Matthew Iszler, a teacher at
Rousseau McClellan IPS #91, believes the day left an indelible
impression on his students. “To have Regions come out here and help us
out is the best,” he says. “They bring all their experience in the
financial sector into the classroom, and kids see how that impacts
their day-to-day lives, which really changes the learning experience.
Something is driven home that they can remember.”
See more
of this
story on the Regions
Financial YouTube Channel
In 2015, Regions supported organizations across the South, Midwest and
Texas through grants, donations, charitable contributions, and
sponsorships. As part of Regions’ support of community service, the
company provides associates a paid day off each year to volunteer in
their communities. Regions associates also participated in “Share the
Good” initiatives, joining community service activities ranging from
Habitat for Humanity building projects to food drives, financial
education classes, random acts of kindness and hundreds of other events.
The complete “Doing More” 2015 Social Responsibility Report is available
on the Regions website at www.regions.com/socialresponsibility.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $126 billion in assets, is
a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest
full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth
management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. Regions
serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its
subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,630 banking offices
and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and its full line
of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.
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