Lots of folks think of December as a season of giving but here at VCNB we try to maintain a spirit of giving all year long. We think it’s important to give back to the communities where we do business.

While there are a few causes near and to the heart of who we are as a bank, we enjoy supporting all sorts of community and school causes. From park renovations to school programs and from Christmas presents for kids to food pantries, downtown revitalization projects, arts festivals, fire department gear and everything in between, it seems like there is no shortage of efforts that need community support.

We also spend a lot of resources on financial literacy, especially for kids and teens in school. We talk to high school kids about credit and about the basics of managing their finances once they graduate high school. We also work with elementary students through programs like Get Smart About Credit, Bremen Bank Days and Teach Children To Save. Another major project for us, an EverFi program called Financial U, uses video, 3-D gaming, avatars and social networking to bring financial concepts to life for this digital generation. Offered at ten schools in VCNB communities, EverFi helps school districts meet state financial literacy standards.

Our employees often get in on the act too, donating their time and resources to support countless organizations that are important to them. Many of our employees volunteer for animal shelters, nursing homes, food pantries, the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. Hundreds of hours are given by our employees to support efforts they care about.

This month in Ross County, employees of our Ross County Banking Center have been involved in a contest to raise funds for the Salvation Army. Several of our offices have collected funds for organizations like food pantries and Project Backpack.

Autumn Warthman, Branch Manager at the Hocking Hills Banking Center, knows a thing or two about giving back to the community. Warthman’s office has helped with some major projects in the Logan area including the rehabilitation of Kachelmacher Park. Her office donated funds and her employees gave sweat equity to help with the project.

Warthman says that she sees giving back to the community as an important part of doing business. “I think it’s important to give back to help in whatever ways we can, especially for youth education like EverFi. We want people to know that we don’t just do business here. We support the community and we’re here for them in other ways besides banking,” Warthman explained.

We are grateful for the opportunity to do business in so many great communities and look forward to 2016 and the opportunities to do more good!