New class of Salina Ambassadors announced
SALINA, Kansas – The second class of Sunflower Bank Salina’s Community Ambassadors program will begin meeting in September.
The bank selected 16 high school seniors graduating in 2008 from Salina area schools to participate in the program: Kate Augustine (Sacred Heart), Kati Blue (Sacred Heart), Audrey George (Salina South), Rachel Groene (Salina South), Traci Hoelting (Sacred Heart), Austin Hoppock (Salina South), Angela Larson (Salina South), Cole Lilly (Southeast of Saline), Christopher Loaf (Salina South), Madeline Logan (Sacred Heart), Scott Mitchell (Salina South), Nora Rindt (Salina South), Megan Robl (Salina Central), Shawnee Smith (Salina South), Elissa Stein (Southeast of Saline) and Kelcy Young (Southeast of Saline).
Sunflower Bank’s Community Ambassadors initiative is designed to encourage entrepreneurship and financial responsibility among youth leaders, and also to open the students up to future career possibilities in their hometown – perhaps encouraging them to return after they graduate.
At the conclusion of the program in April, Sunflower Bank Salina will award three scholarships – in amounts of $1,000, $500 scholarship and $250 – to three of the students in the program, based on participation, leadership, and coursework. Three additional $1000 scholarship recipients will be selected from the pool of all Sunflower Bank Community Ambassadors participants in all markets. Last year, Kent Windholz, Whitney Vaughn, and Katie Sellers each won a local scholarship.
Windholz also took home an additional $1000 scholarship, given to three students out of the entire 2-state field of Sunflower Bank Community Ambassadors participants.
The select high school seniors will attend sessions once a month for seven months, with topics ranging from local government to economic development. Sessions will include presentations and discussions with community leaders, bank officers, and public officials.