The West Chester Area Education Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to supplement creative, meaningful, real-world experiences for students in the West Chester Area School District, has honored First Resource Bank as its Outstanding Community Partner of the Year.

The WCAEF began with one goal in mind: to help better prepare the school district’s students for life beyond classroom walls by connecting classroom curriculum to the real world. Since 2012, First Resource Bank has had a seat on the WCAEF’s Board of Directors and has contributed more than $100,000 in support.

Representatives from the bank – including CEO Glenn Marshall, CFO Lauren Ranalli, and Vice President Jack Ellis, a member of the WCAEF’s Board of Directors – were on hand last week to accept the award at the Foundation’s Annual Recognition Breakfast at Rustin High School.

“First Resource Bank has valued our partnership with the West Chester Area Education Foundation,” said Marshall. “Their acknowledgement of us as Outstanding Community Partner of the Year is something we did not expect, and we are honored that they considered us in that regard. We are thrilled to support their efforts to enhance the experiences of future community and business leaders of Chester County through educational enrichment.”

James Scanlon, Superintendent of the West Chester Area School District, recalled first meeting Marshall and Ranalli in 2012 at the WCAEF’s Second Annual Breakfast.

“At that time, the Education Foundation would showcase three or four projects completed by students but were paid for by the Foundation,” said Scanlon. “One of the projects was a canoe, built by Peirce Middle School students. The kids and teacher were donating the canoe to Operation Healing Waters, a nonprofit group in Delaware that schedules activities for wounded war vets. Boating and canoeing was one of those activities. Lauren and Glenn were so impressed with the project that they decided to get involved with the Foundation.”

Now in its ninth year, the WCAEF raises more than $100,000 annually to provide seed money for projects like Operation Healing Waters.

“Without the help of people like Glenn, Lauren, and now Jack Ellis, we could not make those meaningful connections between curriculum and real-world experiences,” said Scanlon.

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