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“I want to be with her!”

With a greeting like that, it’s no wonder Mondays are Layknn Davidson’s favorite day of the week.

If you’re thinking the rock star shoutouts are from her high school classmates, think again. Davidson’s accolades come from the elementary students she tutors through Brightlane Learning – students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Troubled by seeing students fall behind in their schoolwork from absences due to homelessness, Sally Bindley founded Brightlane Learning in 2001. Bindley initially recruited family members and friends to tutor with her to help keep students on pace to graduate. Today, 200-plus Brightlane Learning volunteers tutor more than 750 kindergarten through twelfth-grade students across 30-plus schools and shelters.

“As homelessness and housing instability in Indianapolis rise, Brightlane is supporting a growing number of students,” said Kelly Coker, Chief Operating and Program officer with the nonprofit. “And, as resources for students facing homelessness decrease, support from our community partners and volunteers becomes especially important. We’re incredibly grateful to our community funders and dedicated volunteers who help ensure we can provide critical support and guidance to each and every student we serve.”

Last September, the Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank, joined those community partners by awarding a $50,000 grant benefitting Brightlane Learning’s programs and services.

Regions Bank and its associates in Indianapolis have also worked with Brightlane Learning since 2016, providing financial contributions, conducting school supplies drives and by volunteering.

Davidson’s volunteerism began three years ago following a text from a fellow tutor.

“I thought it sounded pretty cool, so I decided to try it to see if I liked it,” she explained. “And, obviously, I did since we’re still doing it.”

“We” – just who was that texter and fellow tutor? Layknn’s mom, Amanda Henriott.

“I found out about Brightlane Learning when Layknn was a baby,” said Henriott. “I tutored full-time at the time. I loved what they were doing, and I had such a good time doing it. When I returned to work, I thought, ‘If I ever get the chance to do this again, I will.’”

Fourteen years later, she did.

Each week, mother and daughter head to the Salvation Army’s Barton Center apartments for their one-hour tutoring session. Amanda works with Matchbook Learning students weekly as well.

Yes, the sessions are devoted to developing and improving academic skills, but there’s far more to them.

“I usually begin by touching base, seeing how their week is going, seeing how school is going,” Henriott said. “We’ll then do their writing prompt – something like, ‘Would you prefer to play in a pile of leaves or a pile of snow?’ I try to make it the most fun the child has each week.”

“Tutoring has taught me to be more inclusive with everybody.”
Layknn Davidson

“They may not have a younger person they can talk to,” added Davidson. “They talk to me like I’m their friend, not like an adult. It’s so exciting to see them and they give you a big hug.”

What happens each Monday at Barton involves reading, writing and relationships – including the one between the Davidson and Henriott, known to occasionally generate a reaction from students.

“They’ll say to me, ‘That’s your mom?’,” said Davidson. “And then they go freak out and tell others. They always think it’s cool we’re here together.”

“If she doesn’t come one week, they’re like, ‘Where’s Layknn? Where is she?’,” added Henriott.

Memories the two make while tutoring remain with them, even after students transition from short-term apartments into permanent housing.

“There are kids I tutored two years ago, and I still think of them and wonder how they’re doing,” said Henriott. “You definitely form connections with them.”

Sometimes, the students teach the tutor a thing or two about math.

“It’s a very humbling experience to have a third grader solve a problem in his head before I can on paper,” said Henriott. “I’ll ask, ‘How did you just do that in your head?’ He’s so, so, so smart.”

Oftentimes, the students also share insightful life lessons.

“Tutoring has taught me to be more inclusive with everybody,” said Davidson. “It’s opened my brain to see everyone has their differences, but we’re more alike than our differences.”

“I want to do what I can to help solve the issue of homelessness.”
Amanda Henriott

“Brightlane has shown me how passionate I am about affordable housing,” said Henriott, a realtor. “I want to do what I can to help solve the issue of homelessness.”

Mother and daughter have also learned more about each other thanks to the experience.

“I’ve raised a good person,” said Henriott. “I just love how giving she is and how she’s got such a big heart. I’m proud of her. “

“I like seeing how encouraging she is with the kids,” said Davidson. “It’s exciting to see her get to so happy when a student figures out something.”

Mother and daughter typically debrief about their students’ “aha!” moments on the drive home.

“It’s one of the most fun hours of my entire week,” said Henriott. “It’s something I keep on my calendar as a non-negotiable. You really feel like you’re making a difference with the students. You get out of it what you give.”

“Some say it’s very nice of me to do, but I don’t think of it that way,” added Davidson. “I’m there to have a good time with them.”

But let’s make one thing clear – during Brightlane Learning tutoring sessions, a good time is had by all.

Learn about more nonprofit organizations the Regions Foundation supports.

About Regions Foundation: 
The Alabama-based Region Foundation supports community investments that positively impact communities served by Regions Bank. The Foundation engages in a grantmaking program focused on priorities including economic and community development; education and workforce readiness; and financial wellness. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank. To learn more about the Regions Foundation visit www.regions.com/foundation.

Introduction

The last five years has seen a rapid evolution in sustainability strategies for infrastructure and energy companies. We recently conducted a study with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of more than 100 companies that operate in emerging markets to identify trends in sustainability priorities, reporting practices and how strategies are anchored and financed at these companies.

Methodology

The study included 104 companies across six sectors: Energy, Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT), Transport, Mining, Water & Waste, and “Cross-Cutting” companies with operations across more than one sector. Data was gathered from publicly available documents, company websites, and databases like S&P Capital IQ and LSEG Data & Analytics. This information was analyzed using a sector performance model developed by KPMG which considered 51 KPIs across Strategy, Governance, KPI & Data Reporting, Environmental, Social, and Community Benefit-Sharing.

Key findings

1. Companies are embracing sustainable finance

51% of the companies studied used sustainable finance. Among the financial instruments most used by the companies, green bonds (53%) lead, followed by sustainability-linked bonds (30%) and loans (25%). Moreover, 25% of the companies have sought support from DFIs and multilateral development banks such as IFC, EBRD and ADB. Among the six major sectors these companies are operating, Water & Waste (75%), and Energy (74%) sector companies are leading in terms of the use of sustainability-linked finance whereas Transport sector companies (16%) trail the companies in other sectors.

2. Increased disclosure on gender equality data

Most companies have disclosed gender-related data, indicating a growing commitment to transparency and accountability. Standout sectors include mining and energy while sectors with opportunities to enhance disclosures include TMT, transport, water, and waste sectors. Despite increased disclosure and reporting, fewer companies publicly disclose targets for gender diversity. Further, there is opportunity to encourage a comprehensive approach to inclusion that goes beyond gender to include other key areas such as disability, underserved groups and communities depending on the operational and geographic contexts these companies are operating in.

3. Decarbonization targets and nature-based solutions

We reviewed company-specific targets across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 as well as whether these were structured as carbon neutral or net-zero targets. The analysis showed that:

Energy sector companies lead in comprehensive emissions targets, with 38% of companies setting targets across Scope 1, 2 and 3.Transport sector companies demonstrate the highest commitment to carbon neutral & net-zero targets (42%) despite lower scope coverage of carbon emissions.Data from Water & Waste sector companies indicate only 13% of them reported coverage across all metrics such as carbon emissions across Scope 1,2, and 3 as well as carbon neutral & net-zero targets.

Across all sectors, there is limited progress in Scope 3 reduction targets by the companies analyzed. 44% of companies do not disclose Scope 3 emissions.

4. Increasing focus on nature

Companies are increasingly prioritizing biodiversity by integrating it into their operations through conservation, restoration, innovative solutions, and sustainable land management. As part of their resilience strategy, companies are prioritizing nature-based solutions and initiatives that help drive the global energy transition and combat climate change. However, the adoption rate of sustainable disclosure standards on this newer topic remains lower and slower than many others: Only 10 out of 104 companies analyzed are the adopters of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

5. Evolving efforts on community benefit-sharing

Based on the analysis of twenty-five companies in energy and infrastructure sectors on their community-benefit sharing efforts, the majority (84%) have been disclosing education and skill-focused initiatives with measurable impact. Other areas include humanitarian support/environmental protection (48%), health-related projects (44%) community climate resilience initiatives (8%).

Across sectors there is also priority placed on disclosing impacts in Latin America and Africa, with a focus on cultural heritage preservation, access to improved infrastructure and services, community-level education, and healthcare improvement, among others.

The path forward: Overcoming challenges and accelerating impact

Companies in emerging markets will benefit from the recent agreement at COP29 in Baku [1] that will triple climate finance to developing countries from the previous goal of US$ 100 billion annually, to US$ 300 billion annually by 2035. Moreover, multilateral development banks at COP29 have pledged to increase climate finance for low- and middle-income countries to US$ 120 billion annually by 2030 [2].The decarbonization challenges outlined in the study echo the recent KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook report which found that for 30% of survey respondents, the greatest barrier to achieving climate ambitions is the complexity presented by decarbonization of their supply chain [3]. Standardizing metrics and improving transparency in reporting, particularly for Scope 3 emissions, will facilitate better benchmarking and informed decision-making.Study findings are consistent with our recent “Survey of Sustainability Reporting 2024”, which shows around half of the globally largest 250 companies across 58 countries now report on biodiversity. However, as growth has been slower in the last two years, companies may require technical support to increase their biodiversity and nature-based solutions efforts which would also facilitate access to nature-driven capital sources where needed as well.As for the gender and social targets and disclosures, transparency related to gender diversity targets could be improved across sectors and gender diversity across all employee categories could be further enhanced within water & waste, TMT, and transport sectors.

[1] UN Climate Change Conference Baku – November 2024 | UNFCCC

[2] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/11/12/multilateral-development-banks-to-boost-climate-finance

[3] KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook

Click here to view this article on kpmg.com.