KeyBank donates $300,000 to Say Yes to Education program

SYRACUSE — KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) on Monday night donated $300,000 to the endowment fund of the Say Yes to Education program.

Say Yes to Education, Inc. is a New York City–based non-profit foundation committed to “dramatically” increasing high school and college graduation rates for urban students, according to its website.

Say Yes Syracuse is the organization’s local chapter.

Stephen Fournier, KeyBank’s district president, made the donation during halftime of Monday night’s game between Syracuse and Notre Dame in the Carrier Dome.

The gift helps Say Yes to Education move toward its goal of $20 million for the endowment fund, the organization said in a news release.

The money is used to provide “last-dollar” scholarships and grants to college-bound students from public schools in the city of Syracuse.

The Cleveland, Ohio–based banking company makes it a “priority” to support workforce development and diversity, Fournier said in the news release.

“Key has an inherent interest in helping our city students find success in high school and college. We hope this partnership will culminate in luring this potentially amazing homegrown talent back to Syracuse when they’re done with college,” he said.

Say Yes Syracuse is a collaboration between the Syracuse City School District; Syracuse University; the Syracuse Teachers Association; the Syracuse Association of Administrators and Supervisors; the city of Syracuse; Onondaga County; the American Institutes of Research; a diverse group of Syracuse–area corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations; and a number of public and private higher-education partners, according to the Say Yes Syracuse news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com