Bank of American Fork is committed to our communities. In 2006, the Bank donated over $200,000 and over 2,100 person-hours to 235 charitable organizations in the communities we serve. The Bank was honored by Utah Business Magazine as one of its 2006 “Trailblazers” - in recognition of its longstanding reputation of leadership and social responsibility in the Utah community.
TEACHING CHILDREN TO SAVE
For the third year, Bank of American Fork participated in the ABA Education Foundation’s nationwide youth outreach project, Teach Children to Save Day. The Bank celebrated the day by spotlighting the importance of teaching youth about saving money. The Bank invited students from McMillan Elementary School to the Murray branch and students from Forbes Elementary to the main branch in American Fork. Bank volunteers also visited Guadalupe Elementary School in Salt Lake City. Children from all three schools participated in one-hour workshops divided into three handson, interactive sessions, in which they learned the value of budgeting, the difference between needs and wants, and how interest compounds.
“Children need to be taught how and why to treat money responsibly,” said Bank of American Fork President, Richard Beard. “Reinforcing this message early will help them make smart money decisions when they are older.”
HELPING CHILDREN IN CRISIS
During the holidays, Bank of American Fork conducted its sixth annual stuffed animal drive, Project Teddy Bear, for the children at the Family Support and Treatment Center in Orem and the Christmas Box House in Salt Lake City.
The Family Support and Treatment Center provides crisis care for children at risk of abuse or neglect and helps high-risk families create more stable homes. The Christmas Box House, as part of Christmas Box International, provides services to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected. Stuffed animals play a significant role in the healing process for the children at both care centers. “The first things kids do when they walk through our front door is pick out a teddy bear from under our year-round Christmas tree,” said Becky Rhead, Community Outreach Representative of the Christmas Box House in Salt Lake City. “The bears become constant companions. When kids are afraid or unsure, they always have something to hug. And it would break your heart to see how tightly they hold on.”
In 2000, the first year of the project, Bank of American Fork collected 275 bears. In 2006, with the help of employees, customers and other members of the community, the Bank collected nearly 3,000 – almost twice as many as the previous year!
Through Project Teddy Bear, the Bank honors the work of the Family Support and Treatment Center and the Christmas Box House. These organizations make strides every day to keep children’s spirits alive, to give them a safe haven, and, through family therapy and guidance, help alleviate the problem of child abuse and neglect along the Wasatch Front.
BUILDING ON THE PAST, WORKING FOR THE FUTURE
Utah Business Magazine recognized Bank of American Fork as one of its 2006 “Trailblazers.” Ten “Enduring Companies Building Utah” were recognized in the May issue of Utah Business and at a special luncheon on May 22, 2006 as businesses whose longevity, commitment to quality, relationship building and service have made them leaders in Utah’s business community.
Founded in 1913 as People’s State Bank of American Fork, the Bank has always purposefully put its customers first. After the stock market crash of 1929, Bank employees sold and mortgaged their own properties to raise the funds necessary to keep the institution afloat. The customerfocused philosophy still holds strong today.
“We empathize with our customers,” said Richard Beard. “They are our neighbors and our friends. Our employees offer warm, friendly, small-town service, and that’s why, I believe, we’ve been able to grow into the largest community bank in the state of Utah.”