Trending
SOMERSET -- First National Bank of Pennsylvania has donated $11,000 for the second year in a row to the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial.
The donation is part of the state's Education Improvement Tax Credit program.
Friends' President Donna Gibson, vice president and retail market manager with First National Bank of Pittsburgh, has been an advocate for the Friends EITC program.
The Friends are approved by the state Department of Community and Economic Development as an Educational Improvement Organization eligible to receive EITC contributions from qualified businesses. The Friends work to educate today's generation of Americans born after 2001 about 9/11 and how Flight 93 ended the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. Education programs support grade levels as young as Kindergarten to those in 12th grade.
When the pandemic forced schools to close and begin teaching remotely, the Friends began providing education resources, and developed student activities and classroom discussion questions to help teachers and students connect the Flight 93 story of resilience with today's national crisis. Teacher surveys revealed that 66% of state school districts do not mandate the teaching of 9/11 curriculum.
Since 2018, the Friends EITC-approved education programs provided:
* Educational enrichment through the 9/11 and Flight 93 Classroom Activities Program that provides education resources, activities and digital lessons to 8,000 Pennsylvania educators.
* Transportation scholarships to Flight 93 National Memorial for regional school districts.
* Distance learning programs.
* Development of STEM/STEAM educational programs.
To learn more about the Friends' education initiatives or to donate, visit www.Flight93Friends.org.