UTICA, N.Y. — SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) will use a $25,000 grant from First Niagara Bank’s Mentoring Matters program for the work of its career-services center in that area.
The grant funds will benefit the center’s mentoring program, which helps students arrange workplace-site visits, informational interviews, and job shadowing, SUNY Poly said in a news release issued Friday.
The funding will also help the school organize workshops, panels, career-services presentations, and assistance with other career-services events.
“On behalf of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute Foundation, I’d like to extend our genuine appreciation for First Niagara’s support of the student-mentoring programs here at SUNY Poly,” Nick Grimmer, assistant VP of development for SUNY Poly, said in the school’s news release. “Their tremendous investment will have a significant impact on the resources that we are able to provide to the students who work with our career-services office. I am very proud to say that First Niagara Bank is a true philanthropic partner of SUNY Poly and our foundation.”
Since launching Mentoring Matters in 2007, First Niagara has provided a total of $850,000 in grants to Central New York mentoring organizations and $7.25 million across the company.
First Niagara created the program to support organizations that help children improve their grades and school attendance; enhance their self-esteem; avoid the dangers of drugs and alcohol; and have a “better opportunity for a brighter future,” according to the news release.
“The relationship between a mentor and a mentee can have a lasting, positive effect on a child both academically and personally,” David Kavney, First Niagara’s Central New York market executive, said in the SUNY Poly news release. “Through our strategic partnerships with organizations like SUNY Poly, we are able to cast a wide net of support to programs and initiatives in the communities where our customers and employees live, work and do business.”
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com