Hatboro Federal Savings Supports High School Bigs & BLAST Programs Through EITC Funding!

Erin Simmons, Director of Program, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, (on left) and Linda Roehner, CEO/President, Hatboro Federal Savings, (on right,) with an EITC check for $7,222.

Jamison, PA (February 22, 2018) –Hatboro Federal Savings designated $7,222 of their Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) dollars to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County (BBBSBC), in support of the agency’s “High School Bigs” and “BLAST” programs. The High School Bigs program is in the Council Rock, Pennsbury, and Quakertown School Districts. In this program, high school students, called Bigs, are matched as mentors to elementary school students, called Littles, within their district. In the 2016-2017 school year, 32 elementary school students, were matched with High School Bigs. The Littles in this school-based program made significant improvements both academically and socially, while they also increased their ability to avoid risky behavior.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County’s “BLAST” (Bigs & Littles Autism Support Team,) program was launched in 2015, in the Council Rock School District. In this unique program, specially-trained High School Bigs are matched two-to-one with elementary-aged Littles who are diagnosed with having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). BBBSBC staff provides ongoing training, support, and coaching to the High School Bigs, specific to meeting the needs of children with ASD.  In both of these programs, the high school students receive leadership education and training, and experience the value of community service. The younger students benefit from having older role models who encourage, motivate and inspire them to learn new skills, and achieve their goals.

All EITC funds go directly toward supporting the in-depth screening and training of the High School Bigs, as well as the on-going coaching and guidance provided to both the Bigs and the Littles. This type of “match support” is a hallmark of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and helps to create successful, long-lasting mentoring relationships, with positive outcomes.

“It gives us great pleasure to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, whose mission is to enrich and enhance opportunities for children facing adversity and match them with mentoring relationships that provide positive outcomes,” said Linda Roehner, CEO/President, Hatboro Federal Savings. “At Hatboro Federal, we consider the youth in our community to be a top priority. The more we can motivate and support them, the better.”

“This program is unique in that it benefits the high school students as much as the elementary students,” said Ursula Raczak, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County. “It’s critical for us to receive EITC funding from community partners like Hatboro Federal Savings, in order for us to provide important programs like this.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCEC)’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program allows Pennsylvania businesses to designate a portion of their tax dollars to support eligible educational improvement programs, in lieu of paying PA corporate income taxes. Businesses apply to the DCEC in early July each year, and are notified if they are eligible for the EITC program. The tax credits are applied to scholarship and educational improvement organizations.  For more information on the EITC program, please go to www.newpa.com.

 About Hatboro Federal Savings

Since it was chartered 1941, Hatboro Federal has generously supported community projects that benefit education and youth, donating funds for countless local groups and organizations throughout the years.  The bank’s passion for serving others is a driving force for how they do business and how they give back to the communities they serve. Since January 1, 2017, Hatboro Federal has donated more than $336,000.00 to local organizations that strive to make their communities better places to live, learn, work and play. Headquartered at 221 S. York Road, in Hatboro, PA, Hatboro Federal also has branch offices in Warminster, Warrington and Jamison, offering financial products and services to individuals, families and businesses. To learn more, visit www.hatborofed.com.

Share this post