January 10th, 2018

State College Friends School administrator Lori Pacchioli took a call from BB&T's Michael Petrine on the first day back after the winter holiday break.  The bank's Sr. Vice President invited Pacchioli to the Commons Office Building to meet Community Relationship Manager Cody Jones to discuss financial literacy programs available to families and employees of the school. received a donation of $10,000 from BB&T Bank. BB&T made the contribution through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.  "BB&T has always been a generous, community-minded partner in helping to serve school-age children," said head of school Dan Hendey, but the amount of this gift came as a huge surprise."  "Our BB&T friends Mike and Tara delivered the check during a surprise drop-in at our holiday gathering," Hendey added, sharing that "the standing-room-only crowd of parents and grandparents who had come to sing and enjoy cookies and punch were already in place for the standing ovation." 
 
“BB&T is committed to helping the communities we serve in impactful ways, such as supporting solid education for our neighbors,” said BB&T Northern Pennsylvania Regional President David Kennedy. “BB&T is proud to join organizations in helping to build stronger communities.”

"While not all students understood the idea of EITC, they surely understood the impact of BB&T's unexpected gift when they saw me almost faint," laughed Lori Pacchioli, director of advancement for Friends School. Pacchioli explained that the contribution made to the State College Friends School Scholarship Fund allows for broader diversity in the school community.   As is the case with most independent schools, Pacchioli added, tuition alone does not cover the true cost of a high-quality educational experience.  The school counts on the generosity of alumni, grandparents, and community-minded individuals and organizations to bridge the gap, allowing the school to offer flexible income-based tuition.  Pacchioli said the contribution just before the winter Christmas and Hanukkah break was "sweeter than all the cookies combined."  The children cheered and giggled at that. 
 
The EITC program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, provides tax credits to eligible companies that do business in the state when they contribute to scholarship organizations, educational improvement organizations and/or pre-kindergarten scholarship organizations. The tax credits may be applied against the tax liability of a company for the year when the donation was made.