News Press Releases

The Sallie Mae Fund Donates $14,500 to Indianapolis Nonprofits

SLM | October 12, 2016

The Sallie Mae Fund Donates $14,500 to Indianapolis Nonprofits

Fund Grants $9,500 to Center of Leadership Development and $5,000 to Rock Steady Boxing

Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, today announced its charitable foundation, The Sallie Mae Fund, provided grants to support nonprofit organizations in Indianapolis. The Sallie Mae Fund provided $9,500 to the Center for Leadership Development Inc. and $5,000 to Rock Steady Boxing Inc.

The Center for Leadership Development Inc. supports minority youth in Central Indiana with the goal of preparing them for academic achievement, career success, and community service. The $9,500 grant from The Sallie Mae Fund will support the organization’s College Prep Institute, which helps families overcome challenges that prevent them from excelling academically, attending college, and obtaining a post-secondary education. In addition to free access to licensed guidance counselors, the College Prep Institute provides reading, math, and career assessments, college searches, financial aid literacy, information on internships, and referrals to internal and external community resources.

“The College Prep Institute aims to help our participants advance their education and career success by making sure they are holistically ready for college. The support from The Sallie Mae Fund makes it easier for us to provide this necessary level of in-depth college readiness and thereby equip more students for college enrollment and graduation,” said Dennis Bland, president, Center for Leadership Development Inc. “This grant will help us reach thousands of youth in Indianapolis and give them the tools and resources they need, not only to enroll in college, but to persist and earn their degrees and credentials. Because of the comprehensive college and career guidance our participants receive today, they will be better equipped to thrive in college and in their careers tomorrow.”

Rock Steady Boxing Inc. helps individuals battling Parkinson’s disease through a non-contact, boxing-based fitness program. The $5,000 from The Sallie Mae Fund will support monthly education seminars at Rock Steady Boxing Inc.'s Indianapolis headquarters. The seminars provide guidance on topics ranging from understanding and coping with Parkinson’s symptoms to home care and when to call 911. The Sallie Mae Fund is the first and only sponsor of this important work.

“Rock Steady is dedicated to improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease through education and fitness training,” said Joyce Johnson, executive director, Rock Steady Boxing Inc. “The support from The Sallie Mae Fund will go a long way in helping us continue to fight back against this disease.”

“The Center for Leadership Development and Rock Steady Boxing are tremendously effective at helping people of all ages excel mentally and physically,” said Bonnie Beasley, chief human resources officer, Sallie Mae Bank, and president, The Sallie Mae Fund. “We are pleased to support their remarkable passion to improve the lives of those in their communities.”

The Sallie Mae Fund supports employee volunteerism and community service in communities where Sallie Mae employees live and work. In June, Sallie Mae significantly expanded its Indiana footprint, moving into new offices in Indianapolis and announcing plans to add nearly 300 new jobs by 2018.

For more information, visit TheSallieMaeFund.org.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.