By Nacogdoches Miller

Sun Intern

Members Heritage Credit Union presented a check for $2,000 to GregYates, Partners in Education (PIE) executive director and Community Education coordinator.

Members Heritage handed Yates the check at their Winchester location Thursday.

The sponsorship money will benefit the Bring Up Grades Program (BUG) for Clark County Schools during the 2019-20 school year.

This makes the second year Members Heritage has sponsored the BUG program and adds to more than five years volunteering with PIE.

The BUG program encourages kids to raise a letter grade every nine weeks, Yates said, incentivizing them with pencils, book marks and other school supplies.

“Showing our youth the importance of doing their personal best in school at a young age is pivotal for their future success,” Tammy Burke, marketing director for Members Heritage, said in a press release.

PIE is a non-profit organization collaborating with local businesses and organizations to get employers to tutor and mentor students in the local public-school systems.

Yates said, “It means a lot (getting the sponsorship). We rely solely on fundraising through our corporate sponsors.”

Members Heritage continues to be more involved with the Clark County communities outside of its Lexington headquarters.

“It has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Branch Manager Emilie Cope said in a press release.