KPMG Celebrates 125th Anniversary with Children from Upper Manhattan
On August 2nd, close to 100 KPMG volunteers celebrated KPMG Community Impact Day with 200 children at The Armory!
Our Armory College Prep middle school students and KPMG volunteers kicked off the event by collaboratively building bookcases for each of the students to take home.
Appropriate for an event celebrating KPMG’s birthday, it was only fitting that students and volunteers further break the ice by lining up in birth month/day order. The catch? They weren’t allowed to speak!
Following the challenge, two special guests spoke to students about preparing for the future. KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO Paul Knopp addressed Armory College Prep middle school program students with words of wisdom and encouragement to continue their educations.
KPMG Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Elena Richards, who spent her childhood days running around The Armory's Track, then led the middle school students through reciting and signing a pledge to “stay on track” for college, also announcing that KPMG would seed New York 529 College Savings Plans for the students. Each student was given a $100 check.
Soon after, students heard from the KPMG volunteers about their favorite childhood books. The selection included Holes by Louis Sachar, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and many more. The Armory College Prep middle school students were each able to pick out five of these great books to take home to enjoy, while staving off summer reading loss.
ACP’s high school students also joined in on the festivities, partaking in discussions about career and professional opportunities.
Our neighboring organization Fresh Youth Initiatives (FYI) completed an interactive lap around the oval for a read-along experience. KPMG volunteers read and led fun activities. At the finish line, the grade-school students were cheered on and escorted to the Book Nook, full of English and Spanish books KPMG donated.
Other fun components of the day were the selfie booth, open for all children to use; a Tea Party in the Wonderland Cafe catered by R. Cano Events; and brilliant, on-brand balloon decor by Balloons by SB.
KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO Paul Knopp spoke to children about the importance of education.
With the help of KPMG volunteers, Armory College Prep middle school students built bookcases to take home.
Did you know: Students with a New York 529 College Savings Plan are 3 times more likely to go to college.
Thank you for your continued support, KPMG!
