Dec. 12, 2003 – FirstBank Virgin Islands will present Neighborhood Grants totaling $40,000 in the coming week to 23 not-for-profit community organizations on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.
Presentation ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the FirstBank branch in Sunny Isle on St. Croix, and at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at FirstBank Plaza on St. Thomas.
Applications were accepted from organizations in three categories — Community Development and Human Services; Pre-Collegiate Education; and Arts and Culture.
Over the last seven years, the Neighborhood Grant Program has awarded more than $350,000 in funding to local charitable groups, according to a release from the bank.
Maria Conor-Freeman, a bank vice president, described the program as "an anchor of FirstBank's community reinvestment plan." She added: "We believe strongly in being engaged in the community at all levels, especially in making funding available where the impact can be immediate."
Karen Sprauve, a FirstBank assistant vice president who like Conor-Freeman is a member of its Community Reinvestment Team, said that over the years the program "has opened our eyes to the array of extraordinarily creative initiatives employed by recipient organizations that enhance our community and enrich our people."
The release noted that the bank also is "a supporter of numerous financial education initiatives, seminars and conferences" aimed at benefitting the local community.
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