Youth & Education Programs

Hills Bank Leadership Grant
Youth Salute Program
Summer Reading Programs
Programs in Partnership

Hills Bank Leadership Grant

Eligibility

High School Juniors residing in or attending school in the following counties:

     • Benton         • Iowa                  • Jones              • Linn                  • Muscatine
     • Cedar           • Johnson          • Keokuk            • Louisa             • Washington

Grant Details

Grants are available to students attending any of Iowa’s accredited colleges, universities, or community colleges.  Each grant totals $2,000 with $500 to be paid each semester of the qualifying recipient’s first two years of college.  A total of 20 grants will be awarded each year. 

Selection Criteria

Applicants are evaluated on involvement in:

• Community service
• Student group activities
• Work experience
• High school scholarship information, including G.P.A. of 2.80 or higher

Participation

Recipients of this grant, applying during their junior year of high school, agree to attend a minimum of nine hours of Hills Bank sponsored Leadership Training during their senior year of high school.

How to apply:

1. Complete the application.
2. Submit a high school transcript.
3. Provide two letters of recommendation.

For complete details and an application visit www.extension.iastate.edu/4H/grants.html or contact:

Iowa 4-H Foundation
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-3630
Phone: 515-294-1537
Fax: 515-294-1047

Youth Salute leadership awards presented to local seniors

Area high school seniors were recognized with Youth Salute leadership awards, sponsored by Hills Bank and Trust Company, Sunday, September 9th at the Englert Theatre, Iowa City. Over 190 students from 16 area high schools including City High, Clear Creek-Amana, English Valley, Highland, Iowa Mennonite, Iowa Valley, Lisbon, Lone Tree, Mid-Prairie, Mount Vernon, Regina, Solon, Washington (IA), West Branch, West High, and Williamsburg were honored for their academic achievement and leadership contributions. Students were selected by their high school faculty to receive the prestigious award.

The ceremony included an address by Charlie Wittmack, the first Iowan to summit Mount Everest, sharing stories of inspiration that led him to make his dreams a reality, overcome his fears, and embrace adventure.

Emily Adair, Solon, and Madison Adams, West High, were recognized as the Outstanding Youth Leaders. Each will receive the opportunity to attend the Town Meeting on Tomorrow, an event that brings together youth leaders with diverse backgrounds from across the nation. The students will gather in St. Louis at Washington University in October. Other leadership award winners included Anna-Lisa Bowans, Kelly Krei, Colleen Russo, and Ashley Vitosh, City High; Haley Hergert, Clear Creek-Amana; Ethan Gingerich, Iowa Mennonite; Joey Morningstar, Lisbon; Lyndsay Adams and Chelsea Anderson, Mid-Prairie; Molly Deprenger and Stephen Grabowski, Regina; Courtney Holubar and Abigail Hove, Solon; Katie Threlkeld, Washington; Molly Barnhart and Jake Kabela, West Branch; Max Bryk, Dan Davis, Brady Fritz, Felicitas Jorge, Kyle Shatzer, Daniel Weller, and Xiaomeng Zeng, West High; and Lynna Malloy, Williamsburg.

Youth Salute is a program of the National Council on Youth Leadership (NCYL) and locally sponsored for the thirteenth year by Hills Bank and Trust Company. The NCYL is guided by the vision of making tomorrow’s world better by developing leaders today. The council’s mission is to assist communities to applaud, encourage, and provide opportunity for the leadership development of their youth.

View a complete list of Youth Salute participants.

Summer Reading Programs

Hills Bank provides staff and financial support for summer reading programs in twelve communities: Cedar Rapids, Clear Creek-Amana, Coralville, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Kalona, Lisbon, Marion, Mount Vernon, North Liberty, Riverside, and Solon. These programs encourage youth to read and explore their local library.

Programs in Partnership

Hills Bank annually participates in numerous programs throughout the local schools and community organizations. Involvement includes not only sponsorships, but also taking an active role in the education process. Examples include: America Reads program, where our staff volunteers to read in the classroom; Junior Achievement; Newspapers in Education; R.A.P. (Read Along with Partners); and Banking 101, which teaches junior high students about managing finances. Hills Bank employees are available to visit schools and provide an educational experience for students.