College Bound Students Give Back to Those in Need

College Bound Opportunities (CBO), a local nonprofit on the North Shore, strives to help students in need gain access to college. In addition to its mission to mentor disadvantaged students so that they graduate college, the mission also focuses on unleashing each scholar’s potential and making them an inspiration for others to follow in their footsteps. Because of this, the importance of CBO scholars giving back to their communities is stressed by volunteering throughout the year. On Wednesday, CBO scholars joined employees from First Bank of Highland Park (FBHP) to help sort and package food at Northern Illinois Food Bank. The food will then be distributed to local families in need throughout the holiday season.

First Bank of Highland Park has been a longtime supporter of CBO, and the two groups partnered up earlier this year for the Chicago Charity Challenge, a friendly competition between area companies to give back to the community. As a part of the challenge, FBHP has raised funds for CBO and set up several volunteer days to work alongside the scholars. “First Bank of Highland Park understands the needs in our communities, and it’s important that we not only donate money but also our time,” said Stacy Theodorakakis, Vice President of Personal Banking at FBHP. “It was very rewarding working alongside the students from College Bound Opportunities tonight because we can really see how our support is making a difference,” she added.

For nearly two and a half hours, the volunteers put together food packages, sorted through bread donations, and packaged water bottles into boxes to go out to local food pantries. More importantly, the CBO scholars got to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and help families in their backyard. “The students in our program receive many resources from CBO, and because of this, are realizing their dreams of going to college,” said Mari Najera, High School Program Manager for CBO. “So we want them to understand how important it is to get involved and give back,” Najera added. To learn more about CBO, go to http://cbo4success.org.

About College Bound Opportunities:

College Bound Opportunities (CBO) is a not-for-profit organization centered in the ten communities within Deerfield and Highland Park High School District 113 and Lake Forest Community High School District 115. CBO identifies high-achieving but under resourced young people who, without support, would likely forgo post-secondary education and assists them in applying to and completing college. CBO goals are achieved through a program of one-to-one mentoring between volunteers and scholars. Additional aid provided by CBO includes tutoring, training services, laptop computers, and up to $16,000 in financial support for college. Learn more at http://cbo4success.org.