Pioneer Donates $10,000 to Support Youth Education and Employment Programs at Vanderheyden
For Release: Immediate – Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Pioneer Donates $10,000 to Support Youth Education and Employment Programs at Vanderheyden
Funding will assist Vanderheyden’s Career Center and The Vandy Thrift Shoppe, which provide valuable training and experience to enhance the growth and potential of students
Following a check presentation, Pioneer President and CEO Tom Amell stepped behind the counter at The Vandy to work alongside young people gaining transferable and work-specific skills
Albany, NY – Pioneer (NASDAQ: PBFS), a leading financial institution in New York’s Capital Region, today presented a $10,000 donation to Vanderheyden, one of the area’s premier children, adult and family service agencies, during a ceremony at The Vandy Thrift Shoppe in downtown Albany. The funding will support a pair of Vanderheyden’s education and employment programs that provide young people with essential training and experience to develop career skills and build brighter futures.
The donation is aligned with the Pioneer Charitable Foundation’s mission of “Helping Kids be Kids.” Since its formation in 2018, the foundation has provided more than $1.9 million in financial support to well over 400 local nonprofits that improve the health and welfare of vulnerable area children, providing housing, nutrition, or health care, and educational, social and recreational programs.
Following a check presentation, Pioneer President and CEO Tom Amell joined students behind the counter as a guest cashier at The Vandy Thrift Shoppe, receiving a firsthand look at the transferable and work-specific skills being developed by students who help operate and manage the store.
“I am so impressed with the aptitude and enthusiasm of these students, and with the incredible work Vanderheyden does to empower them with opportunities that are truly life-changing,” said Amell. “We proudly provide this financial support as a means of expanding our efforts to give young people a chance to build careers and lives that are both productive and fulfilling.”
A portion of the funding will support The Vandy Thrift Shoppe, located at 412 Broadway in Albany, which serves as a training location for future retail positions. Vanderheyden students, team members, clients, and other agency personnel work collaboratively to run the store, taking a project-based approach to teach essential skills the students can apply to a variety of industries.
Funding will also assist Vanderheyden’s Career Center, designed to build and maintain supportive employment services for students. Those services include mentorships, field experiences, and the creation of specific curricula to address the needs of individuals impacted by behavioral and mental health challenges, as well as disabilities.
“Vanderheyden is thrilled with our ongoing partnership with Pioneer and is so grateful for their generous support of our mission to change lives to save lives through education, job training, residential and community support services,” said Karen Carpenter, President and CEO of Vanderheyden.
The funding from Pioneer will also enable Vanderheyden to qualify for a matching grant from Business for Good, a nonprofit philanthropic organization providing opportunities to people in underserved communities.
To learn more about the Pioneer Charitable Foundation, and/or make a secure online donation, visit www.pioneerny.com/community.
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About Pioneer
As a leading financial institution in New York’s Capital Region, Pioneer has more than $1.8 billion in assets and operates 22 branches locally. Recognized as a “Best Places to Work” by the Albany Business Review for 12 years running, Pioneer delivers a world-class working environment for its employees and is continually evolving to meet the needs of its customers by offering new products, services and leading technologies. Pioneer is committed to giving back to the communities in which it serves through the Pioneer Bank Charitable Foundation, which provides resources to nonprofit organizations that help improve the quality of life for children in the Capital Region. For more information on Pioneer, please visit www.pioneerny.com.
About Vanderheyden
Vanderheyden began as the Troy Orphan Asylum in 1833 and has been providing services for more than 190 years. Today our facilities offer a safe haven for youth, adults and families who have experienced family disruption, trauma, abuse, emotional difficulty, developmental disability and learning problems. The Richard A. Desrochers Educational Center at Vanderheyden is a Regents accredited 7-12 grade program. It provides education to individuals who are at risk of not succeeding at school, and those in need of a special education. Vanderheyden is a designated Children and Family Treatment and Support Services Provider (CFTSS). The agency is committed to a family focused, trauma informed and community-based system of care. Every day at Vanderheyden, we work to change lives to save lives. For more information visit www.vanderheyden.org and follow us on social media.
Contact:
Schuyler Bull, Vice President, Director of Marketing and Communications, Pioneer
(518) 730-3325 | [email protected]
Steve Janack, Principal, The Janack Group
(518) 810-8050 | [email protected]