Month: May 2023

The KeyBank Foundation has made a $175,000 investment to help Lacasa Inc. empower people to make positive financial decisions and provide access to inclusive, mainstream financial products and services. This grant is part of KeyBank’s commitment to invest in the communities it serves.

“All of us at KeyBank are incredibly proud to support Lacasa and the work they do to educate and empower individuals within the community to make good financial decisions,” said Seth Keirns, KeyBank Northern Indiana Market President. “This funding will have a transformative effect on the adults Lacasa serves and provide them with resources and information that will help put them and their families on a path to self-sufficiency and success.”

Lacasa, a nonprofit housing agency, has several programs and services to help clients achieve financial stability. For more than 50 years the agency has been a cornerstone in Northern Indiana creating opportunities for personal empowerment, family stability and neighborhood vitality.

“Over the past few years, Lacasa has seen a significant increase in both interest and necessity for our financial education classes. Thanks to KeyBank’s continued support and generosity, Lacasa will be able to grow its reach and client base which equates to a stronger and healthier financial climate throughout Elkhart County,” said Lacasa’s Director of Client Empowerment, Ashley Bowen.

Using the funding from Key, over three years, Lacasa is aiming to expand their financial education course participation and more than double the significant financial milestones reached by working adults. They plan to create new employer partnerships to bring financial empowerment tools to the workplace to support workforce stability.

Since 2017, KeyBank has made community investments supporting low to moderate income individuals and neighborhoods totaling more than $93 million in Northern Indiana. This involves lending for affordable housing, small businesses, mortgage and home improvements as well as transformative philanthropy.

Read more about KeyBank’s support of Lacasa:

Lacasa awarded $175K grant to expand financial education programs | WNDU-TV

KeyBank grant boosts Lacasa’s financial education effort | Elkhart Truth

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Meet Reena Gupta

IBM SkillsBuild is proud to work with Mom Relaunch to help skill underrepresented communities, including Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. Reena Gupta, of Southeast Asian heritage, is the CEO and founder of Mom Relaunch, which is based in the San Francisco area. A proud mom of two children, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and champion of gender diversity, she spent time in the Human Resource sector, then started Mom Relaunch with the aim of helping women gain financial independence. Many of the job seekers served by Mom Relaunch are also of Asian backgrounds.

Currently focusing on IT and HR professions, Mom Relaunch provides women with technical and workplace skills training, job or project placement, and pairing with mentors and coaches. It also gives recommendations to moms for support services such as cleaning, kids’ tutoring, meals preparation, and personal wellness as they return to the workforce.

At the same time, Mom Relaunch works directly with companies, helping them craft and hone their diversity hire strategies. For example, Mom Relaunch provides HR departments with skilled candidates with diverse backgrounds for potential full-time and contractor employee positions. They also provide employees with team building and collaboration skills for cohesive and diverse workplaces.

As an IBM SkillsBuild partner, Mom Relaunch gives mothers enhanced access training in cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, and many other technical disciplines — as well as in workplace skills such as project management and design thinking. Participants can earn IBM-branded digital credentials that are recognized by the market.

“After hiring a stay-at-home mom as my first employee in 2003, I realized that there were many women from all backgrounds, in similar situations, who had valuable skills and potential, but lacked opportunities to re-enter the workforce,” recalls Reena Gupta, CEO and founder of Mom Relaunch.

“After exiting my HR tech company in 2018, I started Mom Relaunch to help companies struggling to hire tech talent that is accountable, productive, and loyal. We focus on tech jobs because they offer better pay and more flexible work options. At Mom Relaunch, we believe in providing access to high-quality coursework, credentials, and workplace training resources for everyone. Our partnership with IBM SkillsBuild has given us a platform to support career returners and transitioners from all backgrounds – and, more specifically, women of color — to create a brighter future for all.”

Learn more about the program at skillsbuild.org.