Penn Community Bank is continuing its 20-year effort to combat generational poverty with a donation of $20,000 to the Bucks County Opportunity Council.
The funds will help support the organization’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Program, which offers participants the education, job training, life skills and coaching that they need to break the cycle of poverty.
“We are grateful to Penn Community Bank for its support of the Economic Self-Sufficiency Program. For more than 20 years, they have helped us to move nearly 1,000 people out of poverty, for good,” said Bucks County Opportunity Council executive director Erin Lukoss. “Every dollar invested saves $4.60 in government subsidies, and improves the lives of vulnerable children and families for generations to come.”
Launched in 1997, the Economic Self-Sufficiency Program has graduated more than 300 people in Bucks County, 9-out-of-10 of whom are women, and 7-out-of-10 of whom have children. To complete the program, which takes an average of three years, graduates must meet 10 self-sufficiency benchmarks, including having safe housing, reliable transportation, health insurance for every family member, full employment and no reliance on welfare subsidies.
“Penn Community Bank seeks to invest in programs that deliver tangible results that improve our community,” said Penn Community Bank chief relationship officer Todd R. Hurley. “Bucks County Opportunity Council’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Program is the gold standard for efforts that strengthen families and generate lasting change across our communities, and we are proud to continue our support of this transformational initiative.”
Each year, Penn Community Bank distributes up to 5 percent of its net income through the Penn Community Bank Foundation to local organizations that focus on its four priorities – supporting food security, advocating for safe, affordable housing, facilitating economic self-sufficiency and offering financial literacy education that empowers people of all ages to take charge of their finances. To learn more, visit penncommunitybank.com/home/fiFiles/static/documents/PennCB%20Community%20Impact%20Report%202017.pdf
