Already answering the nation’s call to service and eager to lead the effort moving forward, 230 high school juniors and seniors – including five from Delaware – are rolling up their sleeves and heading to Washington, D.C. July 19-24, 2009 for the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s weeklong Student Leadership Summit.

The summit, which aims to inspire students to serve their communities and effect change, brings together civic-minded high school juniors and seniors who have been selected as Student Leaders® for their leadership and passion for community service as part of Bank of America’s signature philanthropic program, the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative®.

In addition to attending the summit, Student Leaders participate in eight-week internships, paid for by the bank’s foundation, at nonprofits in their local communities to gain hands-on experience, and learn the finer points of nonprofit management and leadership.

Local Student Leaders are:

• Julie Hall, a Hockessin resident and recent graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts, will intern at Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
• Ashley McNeill, a Wilmington resident and rising senior at Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Success Won’t Wait volunteer, will intern at Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
• Shanice Sandiford, a Newark resident and rising senior at Mount Pleasant High School, will intern at Latin American Community Center
• Anthony Williams, a Wilmington resident and recent graduate of St. Elizabeth’s High School, will intern at Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
• Monica Wilson, a Hockessin resident and rising senior at Tower Hill High School, will intern at Latin American Community Center

“At Bank of America, we recognize that the health of our business and the health of the economy are inextricably linked,” said Tim Huval, Delaware State President at Bank of America.  “We have long believed that an investment in leadership plays a pivotal role in revitalizing our communities and providing opportunities for the neighborhoods we serve to thrive. Through the NEI program, we’re helping to create a culture of national service, positioning these students to create ongoing positive change in Delaware and beyond.”

Through a series of interactive workshops and hands-on activities, the weeklong summit will provide students with an understanding of how service creates positive change in communities, how corporate, nonprofit and government collaboration is instrumental in community revitalization and the important role that nonprofit organizations play as community anchors, particularly during the current economic downturn.

Summit activities will include educational seminars and participation of several special guests. Highlights include:

• Meetings on Capitol Hill with a focus on the recently passed Serve America Act
• A financial literacy policy discussion, including Laura Levine, executive director of Jump$tart Coalition, members of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy and Dave Gatton, director of Council for New American City, The United States Conference of Mayors  
• A large-scale, environmental service learning volunteer activity with the National Park Foundation at Rock Creek Park’s Dumbarton Oaks
• Community tours of some of D.C.’s most interesting and culturally rich neighborhoods