Roundtable Association News
CS09 Company of the Week: BBVA Compass
The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
On Nov. 15, National Philanthropy Day is celebrated. BBVA Compass uses this day to remember what it means to build solutions around the communities in which it operates, feeling that philanthropy is something that we should all strive to embed in our daily lives, whether through the giving of our time, money or skills. BBVA Compass truly embraces the opportunity to give back through everything it does and in every community in which it operates. The following are a few ways BBVA Compass and its employees have given back throughout our seven-state footprint in this year alone:
In Dallas, BBVA Compass bankers taught high school seniors about the fundamentals of credit use. Students were provided education through real-life scenarios, including being extended an imaginary credit line and taught how to effectively use it.
BBVA Compass employee volunteers assist in a day of building for Birmingham, Ala., Habitat for Humanity. Team members from across the BBVA Compass footprint regularly participate in a day of building throughout the year.
In celebration of its collaboration with the Houston Symphony, BBVA Compass invited aspiring performing-arts students from Houston's Wheatley High School to a special backstage experience where they had the opportunity to spend time with members of the dancing cast and symphony musicians, as well as tour the rehearsal hall. Students also met with Michael Krajewski, principal pops conductor of the Houston Symphony, and Manolo Sanchez, BBVA Compass president and CEO, at a special reception before the evening's "Dancing With the Symphony" performance.
To represent their ongoing commitment to the communities in which they operate, BBVA Compass donated a total of $100,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs across its footprint during the 2009 re-branding process.
For more information on Community Service 2009, please visit www.financialcommunityservice.org.
For more information on CS09 Company of the Week, please contact Aleksia@fsround.org.
CS09 Company of the Week: BB&T
The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief | Nov 13, 2009
On a scale never before seen, BB&T Chief Executive Officer Kelly King asked employees this summer to collectively embrace and embody the company's mission to make our communities better places to be. The challenge came at a time when companies were going out of business or reporting sharp losses in earnings compared with last year. Jobs were disappearing, budgets were shrinking and the overall economy was bleak.
The stage was set for the "BB&T Lighthouse Project," a nationwide community-service initiative that turned out to be the largest philanthropic effort in the company's 137-year history. The Lighthouse Project included more than 1,000 service projects that affected about 1.6 million people in 25 states.
Working in teams, employees came up with their own projects and contributed nearly 53,000 volunteer hours in local communities by painting, building and repairing buildings; participating in homeless-prevention programs, school-supply drives, food drives and more. The service program was held from August through October. The company also allocated $3 million to fund the employee projects.
"One of the primary reasons we decided to take on this community-service initiative is because I've always believed that the best way to remain positive and enthusiastic during challenging times is to focus on helping others," Mr. King said. "And that's exactly what we did with the Lighthouse Project and will continue to do with our ongoing philanthropic work. That's our mission: to make the world a better place to live."
Learn more about the BB&T Lighthouse Project. Learn more about BB&T in the community.
For more information on Community Service 2009, please visit www.financialcommunityservice.org.
For more information on CS09 Company of the Week, please contact Aleksia@fsround.org.
CS09 Company of the Week: John Deere Credit
The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief | Nov 09, 2009
John Deere Credit introduced a new reading-incentive program in September at Findley Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. Each student was encouraged to read 25 books, in school or at home, to receive a special "Readers are Leaders" T-shirt. With full student participation, a total of 9,250 books could be read by the end of the program. If the students reach their goal, John Deere Credit will hold an all-school pizza party at Findley.
Findley Elementary School recognized John Deere Credit's $5,000 donation to buy two laptops, projectors, carts, and accessories for two classrooms. Jim Israel, president of John Deere Credit, addressed the 320 students as part of an all-school assembly to present the equipment and a surprise Principal Fund check for an additional $4,000. Lois Brass, principal at Findley Elementary, had to fight back the tears as she shared her appreciation for the special fund. She noted that this fund helps to buy "all the little things that a school needs on almost a daily basis" but often doesn't have enough funds to meet the needs.
Congressman Leonard Boswell attended the Findley School event. He emphasized to students the importance of education, commenting, "There is no better investment than educating our youth, and John Deere Credit's support for financial-literacy programs, its gift of new computers and its reading-incentive program are terrific examples of a good investment. Teaching our children about financial literacy is essential to the continued success of our community, state and country."
For more information on Community Service 2009, please visit www.financialcommunityservice.org.
For more information on CS09 Company of the Week, please contact Aleksia@fsround.org.
CS09 Company of the Week: Webster Financial
The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief | Nov 03, 2009
Senior members of the Finance, Risk and Government Finance teams at Waterbury, Conn.-based Webster Bank rolled up their sleeves this summer to help children and families in need in the Waterbury area by spending a day sprucing up the facilities of Family Services of Greater Waterbury.
Eleven individuals participated in the Aug. 25 project, including Jerry Plush, chief financial officer, chief risk officer and executive senior vice president, and 10 others who report directly to him. The team painted children's classrooms, power washed a playscape, repaired fencing and helped with other landscaping needs for the 100-year-old nonprofit organization, which offers a range of social services to the region's families, including behavioral-health services, employment support and children's programs.
"I'm proud of my team for showing that community service and helping those in need is an important goal at all levels of the bank," Mr. Plush said. "They enthusiastically embraced this project, which not only made it a great day of giving back to the communities we serve, but also a wonderful team-building experience."
Holly Leone, development associate at Family Services, said the agency was very grateful for the work done by the team. "It is a true testimony of community spirit," she said. "Webster Bank and Family Services of Greater Waterbury both have an incredibly rich history in the greater Waterbury community. It seems a very natural and appropriate fit that we are collaborating."
For more information on Community Service 2009, please visit www.financialcommunityservice.org.
For more information on CS09 Company of the Week, please contact Aleksia@fsround.org.
CS09 Company of the Week: Regions Financial
The Financial Services Roundtable SmartBrief | Oct 29, 2009
Regions associates across 16 states have helped to make life better in their communities as part of the Financial Services Roundtable Community Service 2009. Three projects with the most impact aimed to help segments of society that have been hit hard by the recession: homeowners, small businesses and seniors.
In Florida, Regions Mortgage associates volunteered to lead Mortgage Literacy Seminars. They partnered with local nonprofit groups to invite 575 at-risk borrowers to one of 14 locations from Naples to Fort Lauderdale. The Regions associates led the free educational sessions, providing information on first-time home buying, government-sponsored refinancing opportunities and mortgage modification. For homeowners in distress, the federal Housing Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) and Regions' own Customer Assistance Program were explained.
In Dallas, a team of financial-services companies and nonprofit groups, co-chaired by Regions Community Affairs Manager Terry Wade-Ottley, held a one-day workshop designed to help jump-start small businesses and further the development of newly established businesses. The Southern Dallas Entrepreneurship Boot Camp is a one-day, intensive workshop designed by a group of experienced entrepreneurs, business experts and financing specialists. The primary objective was to educate the attendees about the process of launching and growing a business, including traditional and alternative financing options.
Thirty-one Regions associates helped to "raise the roof" for low-income seniors of the Jackson, Miss., Medical Mall community this summer. For five days, associates volunteered with the Raise the Roof program, a home-renovation initiative designed to assist low- to moderate-income senior citizens who reside in the area with the upkeep of their home. The associates performed minor repairs, such as painting, roofing, plumbing, electrical, general carpentry and flooring, for residents of the community.
For more information on Community Service 2009, please visit www.financialcommunityservice.org.
For more information on CS09 Company of the Week, please contact Aleksia@fsround.org.
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