Healthy Teens awarded mobility grant from local Bank of America branch

A local nonprofit designed to empower teens and youth to make healthy decisions has been awarded a $15,000 grant from Bank of America to expand its mission of youth health education.

Healthy Teens, Inc., founded in 2010, provides youth Manatee counties the knowledge and skills needed to make informed choices about their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. The organization's Teen Health Educator Program trains high school students to become peer educators and mentors to expand further the mission of reaching and serving local at-risk youth.

Erik Vatter, president of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee said via press release that the organization was one of nearly a dozen nonprofits in the area that the financial institution chose to support in its first round of grant funding this year. The names and purpose of the other nonprofits receiving donations was unavailable from the bank.

“Working with Healthy Teens to provide necessary support for our community’s youth shows our commitment to driving positive change in Sarasota/Manatee,” said Vatter.

“By supporting our local nonprofits, we are taking action to provide the resources and assistance needed to build thriving communities long-term.”

Healthy Teens will focus on expanding from Manatee County into Sarasota County through the newly allocated grant funds.

Samantha Gholar covers social justice for USA Today Network-Florida and lifestyle and philanthropy for the Herald-Tribune. Connect with her on X (formerly Twitter) @samanthagholar or email her at sgholar@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Healthy Teens awarded mobility grant from local Bank of America branch