College Mentors for Kids will honor David Becker, Chairman & CEO, First Internet Bancorp, at the 2015 Inspire Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Mentoring. Becker has been extremely influential in the Indianapolis business community and has served as a mentor to numerous entrepreneurs.

Kyle Salyers, one of Becker’s many mentees, stated, “At every major career decision I have made, David Becker has provided critical input to my decision-making process. He always instills confidence in you — maybe even more than you have in yourself. We’re fortunate in this community to have such an open culture of mentoring, and this culture and network underpins much of our region’s recent economic success. David was a primary catalyst of that culture, and those of us fortunate enough to have him as a mentor also have a responsibility to carry it forward.”

“David Becker is not only a champion of mentoring in the business community,” Amanda Koushyar, College Mentors for Kids’ Interim CEO, noted, “He also believes in mentoring youth and has committed First Internet Bank to enhancing local STEM mentoring programs for students.”

“It is an honor to receive an award from this organization, whose work I so greatly admire,” said David Becker, First Internet Bancorp Chairman and CEO. “Just as College Mentors for Kids cultivates a path to higher education for those who may not have thought college was possible, I aim to inspire others to set and achieve goals beyond their expectations. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have received invaluable advice from those who saw potential in me. I’ve always believed that repaying good deeds by helping others has a multiplier effect in strengthening our community.”

College Mentors for Kids will celebrate David Becker’s contributions to mentoring and the community, alongside other outstanding mentors, at the Inspire Awards, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, held on February 26, 2015, from 12:00 – 1:30 pm at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.

The Inspire Awards recognize and celebrate workplace and community mentoring and are hosted by College Mentors for Kids.

Nominations are being accepted for six industry categories:

  • Accounting, Legal & Finance
  • Business, Retail & Services
  • Education & Non-Profit
  • Health & Health Services
  • Marketing, Media & Athletics
  • Technology, Engineering & Manufacturing

Nominations are also being accepted in a youth mentoring category to celebrate mentors making a difference in the lives of young people in their community.

Nominations will be accepted through February 1, 2015 at midnight. Five finalists will be chosen and the Mentor of the Year from each category will be announced at a luncheon.

Please visit www.collegementors.org/inspire to nominate a mentor or to purchase tickets.

Award winners will be chosen by selection committees chaired by the following industry leaders: Carole Veatch, National Bank of Indianapolis – Accounting, Legal & Finance; Laureen Budd,Starbucks – Business, Retail & Services; Keira Amztutz, Indiana Humanities – Education & Non-Profit; Dave Kelleher, Employers’ Forum/ HealthCare Options – Health & Health Sciences; Andy Huston, Willow Marketing – Marketing, Media & Athletics; Skeets James, eGov Strategies – Technology, Engineering & Manufacturing; and Debbie Zipes, Indiana Afterschool Network – Youth Mentoring.

College Mentors for Kids is grateful to our many sponsors: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Fifth Third Bank; Lumina Foundation; PERQ; Purdue University; Sherck, Hussey, Johnson, McNaughton, LLC; USA Funds; Element Three; Indianapolis Business Journal, TownePost Network, and Willow Marketing.

About College Mentors for Kids, Inc:
College Mentors for Kids is an innovative nonprofit with a mission to connect college students with the most to give to kids who need it most. The organization operates 26 chapters in 22 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Virginia, and Missouri. For more information, please visit www.collegementors.org.

About the Inspire Awards:
The Inspire Awards, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is an annual event designed to celebrate mentoring in the workplace and community. Nominations from around the country are accepted, and selection committees choose the Mentors of the Year from each category who are honored at the luncheon along with a Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree. In 2014, the event was attended by over 400 community members. All proceeds benefit College Mentors for Kids.