“As PNC, we are building upon our charitable giving and community partnerships. In fact, we’re doing this important work more effectively and powerfully than ever before through our investment in a local team that centrally manages all of our market’s resources for philanthropy, sponsorships, charitable contributions, marketing and client and community engagement.”
This team, led by Senior Vice President Kristen Baird Adams, manages the local implementation of PNC’s signature philanthropic cause, Grow Up Great. The 10-year, $100 million initiative provides resources, advocacy and PNC employee volunteers in support of programs and initiatives that help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life, with a focus on low- and moderate-income families.
Clark said that extensive research has shown that the return on investing in early childhood education is high and that children who participate in highquality preschool programs are far more likely to succeed later in life. “For every dollar invested in early childhood education, there is a return of $16 to society. Ultimately, that results in higher graduation rates, higher-paying jobs and a higher standard of living for today’s children, who will contribute to society later in life,” he said. Grow Up Great kicked off last year in Cleveland with the launch of Our Kids and the Arts — A Great Early Start, which included $2 million in PNC Foundation grants to support preschool programs at the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Orchestra, Playhouse Square and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the Council for Economic Opportunities of Greater Cleveland are also collaborating in this initiative.
The programs — StART SmArt, Musical Neighborhoods, Grow Up Great at Playhouse Square and Toddler Rock — are serving approximately 2,000 children and their families across Greater Cleveland. PNC’s investment is leveraging the experience of these four institutions and creating new programs in preschool teacher training and arts activities designed to reach more children in the metropolitan area. The program already is making an impact, including at the Rock Hall, which has significantly expanded its Toddler Rock program with PNC’s support.
“Thanks to PNC’s support, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Toddler Rock was able to double the number of days it is offered and host 21 Head Start classes, nearly twice the number offered in 2008 and 2009,” said Terry Stewart, president and chief executive officer of the Rock Hall. “Grow Up Great has enabled the Rock Hall to extend Toddler Rock’s reach into the community, with music therapists teaching 26 additional Head Start instructors and providing them with supplies of tambourines and triangles to use once the training was over. In all, Grow Up Great made it possible for as many as 600 additional children to take part in Toddler Rock in its 10th anniversary year.”
An important piece of the Grow Up Great initiative is employee volunteerism. PNC pays its employees up to 40 hours per year to volunteer for approved Grow Up Great programs. Five hundred employees in Greater Cleveland already have logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours.
“I am very proud of our employees for many reasons, but perhaps the most significant is their commitment to this community. Our employees are involved in their churches, schools, local fundraisers and social service and arts and cultural organizations. I serve on a number of boards, but I am only one of hundreds who serve. That’s a legacy that PNC has in this market, and it will continue,”