Centier Bank was named the winner of the Commitment to Community Award for Outstanding Community Service performed in 2020 at the Indiana Bankers Association Mega Conference in Indianapolis Oct. 13, 2021.
Twenty-one Indiana banks were nominated, and one winner was chosen for each asset category (banks with assets totaling $500 million and below and $500 million and above). Centier placed first in the $500 million and above asset category.
The award was created in 2018 to celebrate banks’ philanthropic impact, while also promoting the ways community banks contribute to communities beyond offering financial products and services. From 2016-2020, Centier Bank’s community impact across Indiana was valued at a total of $11,055,978. The finding came out of a study examining several areas of corporate philanthropy including volunteerism, donations, and internal fundraising, which quantified Centier Bank’s impact on local organizations and communities at large.
Mike Schrage, CEO and Chairman at Centier Bank, said he is delighted that Centier has received the recognition. He said 2020 was a year of unprecedented circumstances which sparked extra focus on identifying the needs in Centier’s communities.
“Centier Bank is extremely proud and humbled to receive the Commitment to Community Award because it means that we are inspiring the action of others,” he said. “It’s truly our pleasure to be able to positively impact the lives of others through volunteerism, corporate giving, and financial education.”
Anthony Contrucci, said when the pandemic brought everyday life to a halt in Centier’s communities, that the bank’s associates mobilized in order to create greater impact in specific areas, including food, shelter, domestic violence, mental health, and healthcare. This, he said, involved strategizing creative ways to volunteer safely, and discovering ways to serve those in need.
“We continued to impact all the organizations that relied on us in a typical year but added in an extra layer of focus to make sure we were addressing the needs of these areas in order to better serve our communities,” Contrucci said. “This required listening to the needs of the community more than anything.”
For more information about Centier Bank, go to centier.com.
