The East Lake Foundation has proudly hosted five Bank of America Student Leaders for the seventh consecutive year. The Student Leaders Program recognizes and rewards high school juniors and graduating seniors for their passion and commitment to community service by placing them in paid internships across the U.S. The program also empowers student participants at a national leadership summit in Washington, D.C.
The Student Leaders have worked with several East Lake Initiative partners including, Charles R. Drew Charter School, The First Tee® of Metro Atlanta, Sheltering Arms East Lake and the East Lake Family YMCA. This summer, they have assisted senior citizens activities, tutored and mentored elementary and middle school youth and served as counselors for the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) summer camp at Drew Charter School, to name a few.
The Student Leaders will conclude their internships on Friday, July 26th from 5:00- 8:00 pm at the Annual Back to School Jam, a community resource fair, at The Villages of East Lake. Residents of The Villages of East Lake will have access to school supplies and haircuts for children, presentations from local vendors, music, food and fun. The Student Leaders will be onsite to help with the festivities and celebrate a successful summer.
The five Atlanta Student Leaders who interned at the East Lake Foundation are:
- Luci Allen, a Milton resident and recent graduate of Cambridge High School who will attend the University of Alabama where she would like to major in business and pursue a career in nonprofit management.
- Kennedy Head, a Powder Springs resident and rising senior at McEachern High School. She would like to be a Labor and Delivery Nurse.
- Michelle Ramirez, a Riverdale resident and recent graduate of Riverdale High School who will attend Texas A&M in the fall as Posse Scholar. She is interested in entering the world of politics.
- Aleisha Sawyer, an Atlanta resident and rising senior at Westlake High School. She would like to be an engineer in transportation research and science, open her own school of the arts and enter the world of politics.
- Rashan Schoffner, an Atlanta resident and recent graduate of Charles R. Drew Charter School who will attend Howard University in the fall with hopes of becoming a film director and producer.
During the program’s 15 years in Atlanta, Bank of America has recognized 80 local Student Leaders, helping them chart a path for success. Nearly 3,500 young people from across the country have gained skills and workforce experience through the program since 2004.
Bank of America has been a philanthropic partner of the East Lake Foundation since its inception. In 2011, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provided grant funding to support the CREW Teens program and the workforce development program with The Villages of East Lake. In all, Bank of America has provided more than $860,000 in grants to the East Lake Foundation.
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About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 by developer and philanthropist Tom Cousins, the East Lake Foundation collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through its holistic model for community revitalization.
The East Lake model includes cradle-to-college education pipeline at Charles R. Drew Charter School and its early learning partners, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake and community wellness through programs including The First Tee® of Metro Atlanta, the Resident and Community Support Program, Start ME: East Lake micro-entrepreneurship program and East Lake Healthy Connections. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, but also creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live.
East Lake has become a national model for holistic community redevelopment across the country through Purpose Built Communities. For more information, please visit eastlakefoundation.org.
Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this purpose through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
