Poughkeepsie, NY - October 12, 2023 /3BL/ - KeyBank employees visited Family Services Inc.’s Teen Resource Activity Center (TRAC) in Poughkeepsie to meet with students and present the nonprofit with a $10,000 grant from KeyBank Foundation, the bank’s charitable foundation. The grant supports Family Services’ holistic approach to meeting the recreational, social, and emotional needs of Poughkeepsie youth. TRAC provides a free, trauma-informed place for teens to receive mentorship and support after school.
TRAC offers its after school program weekdays at The Family Partnership Center at 29 N. Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie. The program provides caring mentoring in a safe and supportive space and gives teens access to a variety of activities and enrichment, including tutoring services, athletics, music and art programs, nutrition and cooking instruction, community service opportunities, CPR training, entrepreneurial workshops, field trips, and more. TRAC also provides violence prevention and life skills workshops to develop resiliency and offers opportunities for leadership and youth voice. In addition, Youth Outreach Workers mentor the highest risk youth and implement risk reduction plans to address teen violence and provide resources and other social services.
Local KeyBank leaders toured the center and spoke with students about their personal journeys, career aspirations, and the value of having caring adults in their lives. “I never miss an opportunity to spend time with the youth in our community, because they are our future,” said KeyBank Area Retail Leader, Irenee Paul Provenzano. In addition to her bank leadership role, Provenzano serves as chair of Key’s African American employee resource group and leads many of the bank’s local Diversity, Equity and Inclusion outreach initiatives. “I came today because I know my presence can be impactful to these teens. Representation matters, and its important for kids to see people who look like them in leadership roles.”
KeyBank Red Hook Branch Manager Anthony Guzzo spoke to the students about his career journey. “I started at community college and worked all through school to pay for my education and achieve my goals.” He encouraged the students to pursue their own career dreams and take advantage of the resources that the TRAC program offers them.
Rita McPeck, KeyBank Business Banking Senior Service Officer had a personal connection to teen center. “I went to high school in this very building and it’s wonderful to see the good things happening here,” she said. “I emphasized to the students how valuable it is to have counselors who care about them and their well-being, especially those who had gone through the program themselves and came back to be mentors, as a number of the counselors have.”
KeyBank has been a long-time supporter of Family Services and the clients it serves. Leah Feldman CEO of Family Services said, "We are so grateful for KeyBank's steadfast commitment to the youth in our community. Their generous support enables us to continue our vital work at the Teen Resource Activity Center (TRAC), where we nurture not only young minds but also the hopes and dreams of the next generation. Together, we are creating a brighter future for Poughkeepsie's youth, ensuring everyone has the right to thrive."
KeyBank Foundation’s grant is part of its philanthropic efforts targeted toward education, workforce development, and safe, vital neighborhoods. In 2022, KeyBank Foundation donated more than $1.1 million in charitable grants to nonprofit organizations supporting low- and moderate-income populations and communities throughout Key’s Hudson Valley and Metro New York market.
About Family Services Inc.:
Founded in 1879, Family Services brings people together to find the support they need, improving their lives and communities, and building a stronger, safer Hudson Valley. Our program areas include Behavioral Health, Victim Services, Family Programs, Youth Services, Community Safety, and Prevention. Last year, nearly 17,000 children, adults, and families benefited from Family Services programs in Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange counties.
Family Services also manages the Family Partnership Center as a location where the community can come together for conversation and the exchange of ideas, participate in athletics and arts programming, and where a variety of nonprofits and related organizations can co-locate and collaborate to offer enhanced services that create real access. Last year over 70,000 people took advantage of services or activities on this 100,000+ square foot campus.
About KeyBank Foundation:
KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.
About KeyCorp/KeyBank
KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
Media contacts:
Family Services Inc., Kerri Minet, Manager of Marketing & Events | 845-250-5272 | kminet@familyservicesny.org
KeyBank: Karen Crane, Communications Manager | 203-789-2752 | karen_crane@keybank.com
