Southern Bancorp: Building Communities. Changing Lives.

Southern’s banks are anchors in struggling communities, and they symbolize Southern’s long-term commitment to the region. And in the long-term, education is the key to the region’s future. Southern’s work supports the career ambitions of adult residents, and also supports the next generation of community leaders and workers that will be responsible for continuing the region’s revitalization.

Career Pathways in Arkansas
The Career Pathways Program, developed by Southern Good Faith Fund at Southeast Arkansas College in Pine Bluff to help low income adults go to college and get jobs, has been replicated at all 22 community and technical colleges around the state. The Arkansas Transitional Employment Board has committed $40 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding for the initiative. SGFF’s Career Pathways program has already helped over 700 adult students obtain degrees and/or certifications, with 88% of graduates receiving a job on graduation. Statewide, more than 5,000 adult students have been assisted by the program.

The KIPP School KIPP Students

Southern has provided or facilitated $1.8 million in financing and grants to support the KIPP: Delta College Preparatory School, a charter middle school in Helena. The 95 percent African American middle school has been astonishingly successful—the first cohort of students has gone from a mean 20th to 90th percentile on standardized tests in four years. The KIPP school plans to expand to a K-12 institution in the coming years. Through the Delta Bridge Project, Southern provided a $700,000 grant to acquire land and to develop a comprehensive plan for the expansion.