PENSACOLA, Fla.–, Pen Air Federal Credit Union (Pen Air) presented a check in the amount of $4,016.56 to the Blue Wahoos and Studer Community Institute (SCI) to announce their partnership of the Early Brain Development initiative at the Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“Pen Air represents their mission to enhancing the lives of others so well,” Quint Studer, founder and CEO of SCI said. “This is just one more example of Pen Air living their mission, and there is no better way of doing that than to give each child their best chance for success.”
Research conducted by the SCI shows that every year, 1,000 of the 3,000 five-year-olds in Escambia County show up for their first day of school behind their kindergarten classmates, some by as much as two years. A key reason is many parents don't understand the role of language in brain development. Nearly 85% of a child's brain is developed during the first three years of life. This is why it is critical we reach parents well before children reach kindergarten.
“Education is a core focus at Pen Air, so it makes sense for us to partner with this initiative,” said Stu Ramsey, president and CEO of Pen Air. “We agree with the institutions school of thought that children are our greatest investment, and their future success in school and in life depends on our investment in early education.”
Each time the official Blue Wahoos Platinum MasterCard Credit Card is used, a donation is generated to Early Brain Development on behalf of the credit union. The current donation that was presented comes from funds that have been collected since Pen Air launched the credit card program in 2012