First Niagara Foundation Donates $10,000 to Teatown Lake Reservation's No Child Left Inside Program

Teatown Lake Reservation, a nonprofit, environmental education organization with a 1,000 acre nature preserve and education center located in the Lower Hudson Valley, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a $10,000 grant from First Niagara Foundation, the philanthropic arm of First Niagara Bank to support No Child Left Inside (NCLI). This program offers environmental education for Pre-k – 6th grade children living in economically disadvantaged communities in Westchester County.

Teatown, long known as a resource for environmental education, serves more than 9,000 children from Westchester schools each year providing them with authentic nature experiences via on site field trips and outreach programs. Through the NCLI program, at risk children who normally had to forgo these outdoor experiential educational opportunities are given the chance to develop ecological literacy and knowledge of the natural sciences. NCLI also fosters children’s interest in nature and science, motivates them to learn, improves critical thinking skills, and increases self-esteem, self-confidence and competency.

“First Niagara is proud to support the No Child Left Inside Program at Teatown Lake Reservation which has served thousands of underprivileged children since 2008,” said First Niagara Tri-State President, Cathie Schaffer. “Programs such as this continue to grow as an effective way to help children who may not otherwise have access to valuable nature experiences.”

NCLI provides much-needed, enhanced environmental education opportunities to increase students’ knowledge of natural science/environment facts and terminology, to expose the students to scientific thinking and analysis methods, to teach the importance of conserving, protecting and improving their community’s natural resources, and to motivate and foster a sense of place and connection with their immediate environment.

”Teatown is grateful for the steadfast support First Niagara Foundation has provided to the NCLI program, allowing us to continue our reach to children in under-served communities,” said Teatown Executive Director, Kevin Carter.

About Teatown

Teatown Lake Reservation, an environmental education organization with a 1,000-acre private, not-for-profit nature preserve in Westchester County, is one of the largest and most active environmental education and science centers in the region. Teatown impacts more than 20,000 adults and children every year through its full schedule of year-round programs and nature-focused summer camp, as well as through 15 miles of hiking trails. Teatown’s mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship. It has grown continuously since it was established on 194 acres in 1963, 50 years ago. More information about Teatown is at www.teatown.org.

About The First Niagara Foundation

The First Niagara Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable entity. Founded in 1998, the First Niagara Foundation is committed to supporting organizations in the communities in which we live and work, with specific focus on Youth and Education, Community Development and Neighborhood Revitalization. In 2013, First Niagara contributed more than $9.0 million in charitable grants to community partners across the bank’s four-state footprint. For additional information on First Niagara, visit us at www.firstniagara.com, follow us on Twitter @FirstNiagara, or like us on Facebook at FirstNiagaraBank.

About First Niagara

First Niagara, through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., is a multi-state community-oriented bank with approximately 410 branches, $39 billion in assets, $27 billion in deposits, and approximately 5,900 employees providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For additional information on First Niagara, visit us at www.firstniagara.com, follow us on Twitter @FirstNiagara, or like us on Facebook at FirstNiagaraBank.

First Niagara Contact

News Media:

Juliana Wynohradnyk

Thompson & Bender

(914) 762-1900 ext. 22

juliana@thompson-bender.com