Barclays this week announced a $1 million donation to Wilmington’s EastSide Charter School and Community Discovery STEM Hub in Wilmington.
Barclays’ donation over the period from 2022-2024 will support the growth of EastSide’s mentoring program to serve more students, the expansion of the school, and the construction of its new state-of-the-art STEM Hub. The Discovery STEM Hub will also serve the community as a learning center after hours on weekdays and during the summer in partnership with Wilmington Public Library. This investment coincides with the 20th anniversary of the EastSide mentoring program started by Barclays.
The EastSide Community Discovery STEM Hub will enable the school to grow by 20% and serve 560 students by 2026. The groundbreaking for the expansion is slated for December.
“Barclays has played a pivotal role in supporting EastSide Charter School for the past two decades,” said Aaron Bass, CEO, EastSide Charter School. “Not only has the bank invested in our success financially, but Barclays colleagues have volunteered thousands of hours to make a positive impact on our students and the local community. We are grateful to Barclays for the generous donations of time and funds that will make it possible to introduce more innovative programs and expand our reach.”
The EastSide mentoring program, launched by Barclays in 2002, is a weekly, multi-year commitment from September through June supporting their at-risk students with social-emotional learning and additional support such as assisting with schoolwork and other activities. Mentors typically start with second graders and continue to mentor the students until they enter middle school. Mentors come from Barclays, other local corporations, as well as members of the community. Since the launch of the program, over 850 ethnically diverse, high-need students have received mentorship. Hundreds of Barclays colleagues have served as mentors during the past two decades, including Barclays US Consumer Bank CEO Denny Nealon.
Barclays US Consumer Bank, which has operations in Wilmington, offers co-branded, small business and private label credit cards, installment loans, online savings accounts, and CDs. For more information, please visit www.BarclaysUS.com. It is part of Barclays, a bank based in the United Kingdom.
