The SunTrust Foundation and SunTrust Trusteed Foundations announced they awarded $3 million in grants to the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF). The SunTrust Trusteed Foundations include the Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund, the Walter H. and Marjory M. Rich Memorial Fund and the Nell Warren Elkin and William Simpson Elkin Foundation. This funding will support APF’s youth crime diversion program, the At-Promise Initiative, by opening an At-Promise Center on Campbellton Road in Southwest Atlanta.
 
The center will be named “The SunTrust At-Promise Center Honoring Andrew Young.” It is set to open in 2021, located on land provided by the Walter and Andrew Young Family YMCA. The center will be a state-of-the-art learning and community facility with specialized services and programming, including financial education for youth and their families.
 
“The grants to the Atlanta Police Foundation are another example of SunTrust Bank’s commitment to Atlanta and efforts to improve the well-being of people in our community,” said Bill Rogers, chairman and CEO of SunTrust Bank. “Honoring Andrew Young as part of the At-Promise Center, which is focused on helping young people get their lives back on track, seemed natural given his legacy of service and devotion to improving opportunities for people in Atlanta and around the world.”
 
The SunTrust At-Promise Center Honoring Andrew Young will be the third At-Promise Center to open. APF opened the first center on the Westside in 2017 and will open the second center in 2020 on the Southside.
 
“The grants from the SunTrust Foundations will support and expand programs to help youth build self-sufficiency and better lives,” said Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation. “Support from community partners allows us to further our overall mission to keep Atlanta safe and inviting to all its residents, workers and visitors.”

“We’re proud to support the At-Promise Initiative, as it focuses on ensuring troubled youth find meaningful pathways to productive lives,” said Jenna Kelly, president, SunTrust Bank Georgia Division. “We believe this investment in community building will pay dividends to our city and our neighborhoods for generations to come.”
 
The $3 million in grants from the SunTrust Foundation and SunTrust Trusteed Foundations is the largest gift ever made to the At-Promise Initiative.
 
The At-Promise Initiative has garnered significant national attention, winning the FBI Director’s Award for its success in reducing recidivism, or repeat offenses, among youth offenders. In its first two full years of operation, At-Promise enrollees have a 4% recidivism rate while the national rate is more than 15 times higher.