KeyBank makes $25,000 contribution to NMCC fund

    PRESQUE ISLE – KeyBank NA, one of Maine’s largest financial services companies with nine branches in Aroostook County, has pledged $25,000 to the major gifts campaign at Northern Maine Community College.
   This latest gift represents a growing number of businesses with a presence in, or regional ties to, northern Maine and the NMCC College community to come forward to support the Campaign for the County’s College, the first-ever major gifts campaign launched by NMCC earlier this year.
    According to regional officials with KeyBank, the corporate commitment by the financial services institution to NMCC represents both the organization’s strong commitment to northern Maine and to promoting education, specifically education in the financial arena.
    “Northern Maine Community College is a valuable asset to the community and KeyBank is proud to be able to support the Campaign for the County’s College with the five-year pledge totaling $25,000. NMCC offers programs that support Key’s efforts to promote financial literacy and Key’s Back-to-Work Initiative,” said Steve Gagnon, senior vice president and business banking team leader for KeyBank. “It is important for us to give back to the community in which we work. We hope that our investment will support NMCC and Aroostook County for some time to come.”
    The KeyBank commitment to the Campaign for the County’s College was designated evenly between the Investing in Innovation Fund, a technology endowment fund to purchase instructional technology for college academic programs, and the College and Community Advancement Fund, which will provide an immediate source of funding to allow NMCC to launch new curricula and respond promptly to evolving community need.
    “KeyBank’s contribution to both the instructional technology endowment and the community advancement fund will provide valuable assistance in our delivery of academic programs and ongoing efforts to meet the needs of expanding and new businesses in the county,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “It will ensure that our students continue to train on and work with the technology that employers in our region expect and require, as well as assist with our efforts to support the region’s economic development.”
    KeyBank has established itself as an active and committed corporate citizen that invests in Maine, contributing both financial and volunteer resources to economic and community needs. In 2006, Key donated approximately $1 million in actual and in-kind services to support more than 150 charitable organizations, including sponsorships, and economic development initiatives.
    The Campaign for the County’s College was established to raise $2 million dollars over the next year to both support student scholarships and instructional technology, as well as to assist the College in new and ongoing efforts to respond promptly to community needs.