Katahdin Trust Company is proud to be an official "Bank of Promise" as part of a partnership with Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), the American Bankers Association, and America's Promise, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of our nation's youth. The America's Promise program serves as a nationwide catalyst, urging public, private and nonprofit organizations to focus their combined talents and resources to improve the lives of our nation's 15 million at-risk youth. America's Promise aims to provide youth with access to the five fundamental resources needed in order for them to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives:

• An ongoing relationship with a caring adult, mentor, tutor or coach
• Access to safe places and structured activities during non-school hours
• A healthy start
• A marketable skill through effective education, and
• An opportunity to give back through community service.

The America's Promise program is a great way for Katahdin Trust Company to participate in a worthy program by building on things we have been doing for years. By signing up as a "Bank of Promise" we have made the commitment to increase by 10% our youth related activities.

Some of the youth related projects that the bank sponsors and projects that our employees volunteer time to include:

• Holding employee dress down days with employees paying $2 to dress down and using the proceeds to purchase children's books for the local or school libraries in the communities we serve
• Reading to children at the Caribou Public Library, Mark & Emily Memorial Turner Library in Presque Isle, Fort Street School library in Mars Hill, and Aroostook County Action Program day care in Houlton
• Volunteering a day at the Aroostook Centre Mall to raise over $700 for the "Make A Wish" Foundation
• Collecting gifts at Christmas time for victims of the Battered Women's project
• Collecting mittens for children in need at Katahdin Elementary School
• Selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the school library at Southern Aroostoook Community School
• Tutoring
• Serving as church youth group, Sunday school, and junior church leaders
• Coaching youth sports teams
• Participating in school career days
• Ongoing sponsor of Caribou Cares About Kids, Patten Pioneer Days, Westfield Jubilee Days, Easton Field Days, Presque Isle Pioneer Days, Caribou Little League, Dirigo Boys State and Girls State, scholarship programs, project graduation, to name only a few . . . .