Lending a hand: survey finds Indiana bankers are generous with time, talent and dollars to support communities.

• Author: Hromadka, Erik
• Position: BANKING

WHILE FINANCIAL MARKETS are being closely watched across the country, a different sort of evaluation is taking place in Indiana, where the state's bankers are being recognized for a variety of community service efforts.

The Indiana Banking Association undertook its first such survey of service projects and volunteer activities in an attempt to better understand how banks are giving back to their communities.

"The tradition of community service runs deep in the Indiana banking community Banking is a people business; the 'people skills' of banking professionals are every bit as strong as their financial skills," explains Laura Wilson, vice president of communications for the association. "Every bank to some degree donates time and talent to growing their communities."

Among the 30 percent of member banks that responded to the survey, Wilson noted a wide range of service projects that assisted more than 4,100 community groups across the state and with 115,000 hours of service from bank associates.

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Helping youth. A good example of the difference that direct involvement can make in a community took place in Warsaw, where John Elliott of 1st Source Bank has taken a leadership role with the Baker Youth Club.

Having served on the center's board for more than 20 years, Elliott understands the importance of the organization's role in helping K-12 students from low and moderate-income families. However, he also saw greater potential for the center if it could own its own building rather than having to use other facilities.

"We talked about it for years, but nobody had the passion to get it done," Elliott recalls. However, he says that changed after Tracy Furnivall joined the organization as its first full-time executive director in 2003. When the dream of having a dedicated facility for the center suddenly seemed like it could become a reality, Elliot stepped up to help launch a fundraising drive that was supported by many of the bank's clients in the community. The center was also able to secure both small and large donations, including a $50,000 gift from the 1st Source Foundation and a $500,000 grant from the state.

"We put together a plan and raised $2.2 million for it," Elliot says, noting that in addition to the new facility, those efforts also provided an endowment to make sure the center would be equipped to provide services to area youth. Now the club is housed in a spacious facility complete with a gym, computer study...