Sheffield, Ala.− Friday, August 2, 2019 – The sixth annual Bank Independent School Share drive conducted from July 8 through July 26 culminated with a financial impact to our communities of $50,187. School supplies were accepted at all 28 Bank Independent sales offices and at the one-day collection events held at Office Depot in Florence and Walmart locations in Florence and Huntsville. Thanks to the generous response from local citizens, 20,667 items were collected and distributed to partner organizations along with the Bank Independent Smart Swipe pledge-match totaling $9,421.65.
The school supplies and cash donations will be distributed through local organizations in each market, including Committee on Church Cooperation in Decatur, Sidney’s Safe! Foundation and New Beginnings Church in the Shoals, and the Department of Human Resources in Madison, Limestone, Franklin and Lawrence counties.
“We’ve conducted the School Share drive for six years now, but this is the first time that we’ve added the Smart Swipe pledge-match,” said Rick Wardlaw, CEO of Bank Independent. “At Bank Independent, our mission is to make a positive difference. We wanted to honor the positive difference that customers make to their own financial well-being when they practice healthy savings habits by pledging to match their savings and donate the total to School Share. When we pull together, small change can affect big change in the community.”
Smart Swipe is a simple savings plan that rounds up change from Bank Independent Debit Card purchases to the next dollar and deposits the difference into another BI account of the customer’s choosing. Bank Independent pledged to match customers’ Smart Swipe savings up to a total of $10,000 between July 24 – 26. Over the three-day period, customers saved $9,421.65.
School Share is part of Bank Independent’s Helping Hands program, which also includes employee volunteer efforts, donations, and sponsorships. Other Share drives include Toy Share to collect toys for children during the holiday season, Shelter Share to benefit animal shelters, and Food Share to collect non-perishable food items.
About Bank Independent
Since 1947, Bank Independent has taken pride in serving the customers who count on us to be there for them when they need us most. With 28 traditional Sales Offices across North Alabama and one Digital Sales Office, we’re committed to providing the best service, designing the most desired products and creating an overall excellent experience for each and every customer. As a local community bank, we believe in building relationships that run deep and last. All of our employees reside in our local communities and believe in giving back through volunteering. To become part of a bank that makes a positive difference in people’s lives, visit us at bibank.com.
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For more information, press only:
Bank Independent, Marketing Department for Bank Independent, (256) 386-5000, ma@bibank.com