The Sallie Mae Fund Donates $14,500 to Indianapolis Nonprofits

Fund Grants $9,500 to Center of Leadership Development and $5,000
to Rock Steady Boxing

INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college
company, today announced its charitable foundation, The Sallie Mae Fund,
provided grants to support nonprofit organizations in Indianapolis. The
Sallie Mae Fund provided $9,500 to the Center for Leadership Development
Inc. and $5,000 to Rock Steady Boxing Inc.

The Center
for Leadership Development Inc. supports minority youth in Central
Indiana with the goal of preparing them for academic achievement, career
success, and community service. The $9,500 grant from The Sallie Mae
Fund will support the organization’s College Prep Institute, which helps
families overcome challenges that prevent them from excelling
academically, attending college, and obtaining a post-secondary
education. In addition to free access to licensed guidance counselors,
the College Prep Institute provides reading, math, and career
assessments, college searches, financial aid literacy, information on
internships, and referrals to internal and external community resources.

“The College Prep Institute aims to help our participants advance their
education and career success by making sure they are holistically ready
for college. The support from The Sallie Mae Fund makes it easier for us
to provide this necessary level of in-depth college readiness and
thereby equip more students for college enrollment and graduation,” said
Dennis Bland, president, Center for Leadership Development Inc. “This
grant will help us reach thousands of youth in Indianapolis and give
them the tools and resources they need, not only to enroll in college,
but to persist and earn their degrees and credentials. Because of the
comprehensive college and career guidance our participants receive
today, they will be better equipped to thrive in college and in their
careers tomorrow.”

Rock
Steady Boxing Inc. helps individuals battling Parkinson’s disease
through a non-contact, boxing-based fitness program. The $5,000 from The
Sallie Mae Fund will support monthly education seminars at Rock Steady
Boxing Inc.’s Indianapolis headquarters. The seminars provide guidance
on topics ranging from understanding and coping with Parkinson’s
symptoms to home care and when to call 911. The Sallie Mae Fund is the
first and only sponsor of this important work.

“Rock Steady is dedicated to improving the lives of people with
Parkinson’s disease through education and fitness training,” said Joyce
Johnson, executive director, Rock Steady Boxing Inc. “The support from
The Sallie Mae Fund will go a long way in helping us continue to fight
back against this disease.”

“The Center for Leadership Development and Rock Steady Boxing are
tremendously effective at helping people of all ages excel mentally and
physically,” said Bonnie Beasley, chief human resources officer, Sallie
Mae Bank, and president, The Sallie Mae Fund. “We are pleased to support
their remarkable passion to improve the lives of those in their
communities.”

The Sallie Mae Fund supports employee volunteerism and community service
in communities where Sallie Mae employees live and work. In June, Sallie
Mae significantly expanded its Indiana footprint, moving into new
offices in Indianapolis and announcing plans to add nearly 300 new jobs
by 2018.

For more information, visit TheSallieMaeFund.org.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and
paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just
around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible
personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards,
scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail
banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com.
Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are
not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

Contacts

Sallie Mae
Connor Peoples, 302-451-0402
connor.peoples@salliemae.com