From education to nonprofits, a holistic approach will strengthen the River Region.
In 2020, perhaps the one constant we’ve seen – is change. Small businesses. Big businesses. Schools. Nonprofits. All have been impacted. People across Montgomery, the nation, and the world are finding ways to keep moving forward, months after the pandemic began, while remaining prepared to adjust further.
Take a closer look at education. This is the time of year when, typically, students may be traveling with families. Those who are old enough may be working summer jobs at retail stores. Or maybe they would be in the middle of an internship in a downtown office filled with professionals.
It’s all changed. The retail store may not have done any summer hiring. The downtown office may still be only partially full. I suspect we’ll all be defining the “new normal” for a while to come. Instructors aren’t just creating lesson plans for the fall. They’re thinking of new ways to reach students of all ages who experienced a challenging gap in their education in the spring.
So even if this summer is nothing like the ones we’ve seen before, and even if the coming fall will look different than last year’s, there are ways to move forward as a broader community without losing sight of the need to help ensure all people can succeed.
That’s one reason Regions Bank enhanced its work with community partners. Consider our support of Alabama State University. We’ve long worked with ASU on a variety of initiatives. But we knew the challenges of COVID-19 presented a need to modify that work. So, a financial grant allocated by the bank to ASU in May is supporting greater access to online learning. Our goal is to help more students build on the success they’ve already achieved, without limitations from the changes we’ve seen in recent months.
A separate grant for Tuskegee University is supporting a Student Emergency Fund to help with the transition to online instruction, travel assistance, food and personal items, and more. We also allocated funding to Valiant Cross Academy to support an emergency food pantry. A grant for Arsenal Place, a business incubator in Selma, will support the organization’s education and workforce readiness programs.
Our community partners in education – and nonprofits across the River Region – are rising to the challenge. It’s up to all of us to find ways we can help. Because for us to truly emerge stronger, we’re going to have to come together and ensure the recovery reaches everyone.
We have more work to do. And we thank you, and your businesses, for considering ways you can make a difference as we move forward – together.
Find the latest resources at regions.com/ coronavirus.
Take a closer look at education. This is the time of year when, typically, students may be traveling with families. Those who are old enough may be working summer jobs at retail stores. Or maybe they would be in the middle of an internship in a downtown office filled with professionals.
It’s all changed. The retail store may not have done any summer hiring. The downtown office may still be only partially full. I suspect we’ll all be defining the “new normal” for a while to come. Instructors aren’t just creating lesson plans for the fall. They’re thinking of new ways to reach students of all ages who experienced a challenging gap in their education in the spring.
So even if this summer is nothing like the ones we’ve seen before, and even if the coming fall will look different than last year’s, there are ways to move forward as a broader community without losing sight of the need to help ensure all people can succeed.
That’s one reason Regions Bank enhanced its work with community partners. Consider our support of Alabama State University. We’ve long worked with ASU on a variety of initiatives. But we knew the challenges of COVID-19 presented a need to modify that work. So, a financial grant allocated by the bank to ASU in May is supporting greater access to online learning. Our goal is to help more students build on the success they’ve already achieved, without limitations from the changes we’ve seen in recent months.
A separate grant for Tuskegee University is supporting a Student Emergency Fund to help with the transition to online instruction, travel assistance, food and personal items, and more. We also allocated funding to Valiant Cross Academy to support an emergency food pantry. A grant for Arsenal Place, a business incubator in Selma, will support the organization’s education and workforce readiness programs.
Our community partners in education – and nonprofits across the River Region – are rising to the challenge. It’s up to all of us to find ways we can help. Because for us to truly emerge stronger, we’re going to have to come together and ensure the recovery reaches everyone.
We have more work to do. And we thank you, and your businesses, for considering ways you can make a difference as we move forward – together.
Find the latest resources at regions.com/ coronavirus.
*The Regions Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank.
