BANK AND YPIE LAUNCH PROGRAM - Westfair Communications

Webster Bank President and CEO John Ciulla, right, officially launches the Webster/YPIE Finance Lab with YPIE Executive Director Sam Wallis and two Yonkers high school students who participate in the YPIE Finance Major.

Webster Bank, together with Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), recently announced the launch of the first-ever Webster/YPIE Finance Lab and the YPIE Finance Major, created to provide students in Yonkers schools with the financial literacy skills needed for economic empowerment. These programs are sponsored by a founding investment of $100,000 from Webster.

The Webster/YPIE Finance Lab is a new signature initiative of Webster Bank designed to help Webster partners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities improve the financial literacy of their youth. It will serve as a combined technology lab and classroom, providing students with equitable access to technology solutions, financial experts and outside speakers. YPIE currently serves 1,200 high school students each year in Yonkers.

“Webster is committed to investing in programs that foster youth leadership and help build our future workforce,” said Marissa Weidner, chief corporate responsibility officer, Webster Bank.

“We are very grateful to Webster Bank for their generous support of the Webster/YPIE Finance Lab and honored to be the first ”˜Finance Lab”™ equipping students with financial literacy skills”¦,” said Sam Wallis, YPIE Executive Director. “The Finance Lab will give students a unique opportunity to learn about finance, connect with professionals in the field, and explore professional pathways they may never have thought possible.”

Webster Bank recently merged with Sterling National Bank to become a $65 billion commercial bank and one of the top 30 regional banks in the country. Sterling has been a financial investor and partner of YPIE for the past two years.