PVCC receives donation from SunTrust Foundation to support Great Expectations Program for foster youth

written by Newspack Team | December 15, 2016

(Charlottesville, Va.) – Officials at Piedmont Virginia Community College announced today that the SunTrust Foundation has donated $3,500 to support the college’s Great Expectations Program for foster youth.

PVCC’s Great Expectations provides much needed support for foster youth between the ages of 13 and 24 to complete high school, gain access to a community college education and successfully transition to living independently.

“The SunTrust Foundation is pleased to be partnering with PVCC to further our mission of supporting the financial well-being for people in our community,” said Scott Horchler, vice president and community development manager at SunTrust. “These students have overcome great hardships to get where they are today and we’re proud to support their path to education.”

Simone Alley, PVCC’s director of major gifts and planned giving, agrees.

“It’s donations like this that help make this program what it is and that help these incredible students succeed,” said Alley. “Without support from community partners like the SunTrust Foundation and other generous donors in our community, we wouldn’t be able to help nearly as many foster care youth as we do now.”

In addition to the donation, the SunTrust Foundation is partnering with PVCC to offer a new program that will pair up Great Expectations students with volunteer SunTrust employees in order to provide financial literacy coaching for students.

“Our goal is to make sure that students gain an understanding of the financial decision-making process, as well as learn how to organize and manage their finances effectively,” said La’Tisha Jackson, PVCC’s Great Expectations advisor. “Understating the dynamics of personal finance sets our students up for success now and directs them toward a path of future success in achieving their goals.”

Since the program’s inception in 2009, PVCC has assisted more than 250 foster youth and currently serves more than 130 students at the high school and college levels. To learn more about PVCC’s Great Expectations Program, visit

To make a gift to PVCC, contact Alley by calling , or by emailing salley@, or visiting