FFB&T Newsroom

Coming Soon!

The Corporate Challenge is currently taking place and employees who are participating have until the weekend to complete their events. First Farmers employees are competing in the following events: Fun Walk, Bowling, Bike Ride, Corn Hole, Golf, 1.6 Mile Run, and a Fishing Derby. We'll keep you posted on the results!

On August 16th, the Greentown branch of First Farmers is attending the annual Eastern Benefits Fair. This event allows Eastern School Corporation employees to receive information about businesses in the community. FFBT will be raffling off some items so if you are an employee at Eastern, visit the First Farmers table for your chance to win!

The Converse Homecoming Day is being held on August 28th and the theme is "Under the Big Top!" First Farmers will be in the parade and we look forward to seeing you there!

On August 21st, the Wabash branch of FFBT will participate in the Wabash Herb Fest. We'll have more details later this month.

The Robert Larrison Memorial Golf Outing will be held on September 11th and is in memory of former FFBT President, CEO, and good friend Robert Larrison, who passed away in early 2008. Many employees are attending this event and we'll let you know how the event went!

The annual Amboy Festival will be held on September 17-19th and the Amboy branch of First Farmers always gets in the spirit. We will be posting more information about this event later this month, but the big event from First Farmers is that on Saturday, we will be providing Kid's ID cards. This is a great event and has been successful recently in other areas. Keep checking for more information.

In case you haven't heard, First Farmers Bank & Trust is celebrating their 125th Anniversary this year. To celebrate, all branches (20!) will be hosting a 125th Celebration Week in October. We'll update you soon on when that event will take place and what you can find at each branch.

Summer Happenings Part 2

FFBT Participates in Sand Sculpture Contest to Benefit CASA of Grant County

On Saturday, July 17th, the 2nd Annual Sand Sculpture Artfest 2010 took place at the Splash House in Marion to benefit CASA of Grant County. In case you haven't read the post from last summer, this event was created and run by Michael Belcher's children. Michael is a loan officer at the Marion location and is very proud of his children's many efforts to help those in need in the community. Like last year, Michael Belcher and Dawn Darga came together as a team and Lanita Ferre' and her family represented First Farmers. The teams had 8 hours to complete their sculptures and were competed for three different awards: the People's Choice Award which is determined by a dollar amount giving as 'votes', the Schramm Family Award which is determined by the Schramm Family, and the Golden Pail Award given by the CASA Board to the group who had the most fun.

Twenty teams participated and raised over $15,000-triple the amount raised last year! Dana and Alex Kenworthy won the Golden Pail Award, Via Federal Credit Union won the Schramm Family Award, and Westminster Presbyterian Church won the People's Choice Award.

FFBT Sponsors Kokomo Library's Reading Club Splash Bash

During the summer, the Kokomo Library hosted a Summer Reading Club to encourage kids of all ages to read when school is out. Children are encouraged to read books from designated lists that they check out from the library and each book read earns them points which go toward prizes such as book bags, books, and gift cards to local businesses. The club is free to all who are interested in participating.

The Splash Bash was held at Kokomo Beach on July 22nd and attendees could participate in swimming, volleyball, and many more activities. First Farmers' Howard County branches sponsored this event because they felt it was important to encourage children to read and improve their education. Jennifer Van Horn, Commercial Loan Officer at FFBT stated, "I enjoyed taking my kids to this event and finding books to read to them. I think it's great that we participate in events like this because it's affordable for any family who wants to do something fun when school isn't in session."

FFBT Participates in Galveston Summerfest

On July 24th, Galveston held Summerfest and First Farmers was available to hand out free gifts and answer questions about FFBT. The event is sponsored this year by Galveston Merchants Group and the Galveston Heritage Society. This event has been held since 1988 or 1989, but went on hiatus after 2002. For the past seven years, only a town-wide garage sale was held. The Merchants Group wanted to do something nice for the town and bring the community together. Free door prizes were given away, a tractor show was held, the Fire Department held an open house and lunch, and a town-wide garage sale took place. The Galveston branch of First Farmers had a great time at this event and looks forward to participating next year.

Kathy Jones a Member of the Moonlight Garden Club in Wabash

Kathy Jones, Branch Manager of the Wabash location, is also a member of the Moonlight Garden Club. Each month during the summer, the Garden Club elects a yard of the month and presents them with a sign that they can display for the month. They determine these yards based on a variety of items including cleanliness, color, etc. Here is a picture from July's Yard of the Month!

First Farmers Sponsors Duck Derby

The Samaritan Caregiver's Annual Duck Derby took place on July 29th, and First Farmers' Howard County branches came together to sponsor the Free Swim. All of the tickets were sold and Papa John's served over 400 pizzas at the event. One ticket entitled one adult and one child entry into Kokomo Beach and pizza and drinks for each person. There were games and businesses set up around the outside of Kokomo Beach and attendees could see the decorated ducks as they walked into the pool area. Each business paid $100 for a decorated duck to race in the Lazy River. At 7:00pm, the race took place with the owner of the winning duck receiving $500-this year's winner was Cathy Archer!

Many First Farmers employees attended the event and set up a tent where they gave away small gifts such as sanitizing spray, pencils, and keychains, and held a raffle to give away two beach towels every hour. Everyone who attended the event had a lot of fun and many stayed and swam at the event after they finished working at the FFBT tent. Linda Clark decorated the duck as a farmer for First Farmers Bank and had done this for Central Bank for previous years.

FFBT Sponsors and Participated in Jim "Moose" Carden Kid's Fishing Clinic

For many years, the nationally ranked Jim "Moose" Carden Kid's Fishing Clinic has been a huge success, and this year was no different. When it was time to sign up to attend the event, over half of those in line were left without a spot. With an event of this caliber, attendance at the event must be limited because on the day of the tournament, many boat captains are needed to take the kids fishing. For two weeks, a clinic is held for all participants and volunteers teach them how to cast and they take classes on the ethics of fishing, different types of lures and bait, etc. Guest speakers come as well to teach children about safety, responsibility, and other important topics. Perhaps the most popular is Scott Lucas, a trick caster who has been performing at the event for several years and who used to star in a TV show. He shows the kids tricks such as looping his line around a finger or getting his line into a hat from across the stage, but more importantly, he shows kids why it is important to practice casting and how certain tricks can help benefit them in the water. At the end of each night, door prizes are given away and each child walks away with quite the catch-all of the prizes are donated by businesses and individuals.

At the end of the clinic, all of the kids go out to the Kokomo Reservoir and are assigned a boat captain. For 3 hours, the kids' fish and at the end, the kids bring in their catch to get it weighed and measured. Each child receives a trophy, but there are special classes for those who have the biggest catch. They are separated by age group and a $20 bill is given to the child with the biggest fish. Once the fish are weighed, a huge, and free, lunch is held for the community.

Bart Alexander, Vice President and Commercial Lender at First Farmers, has volunteered at this event for approximately 15 years. He teaches classes, gets T-shirts made for all of the kids, and acts as a boat captain during the tournament. The event has become a family event for the Alexander's. Each of Bart's three daughters participated in the event at a young age and now volunteer as well. They are responsible for calling all boat captains to get enough for the tournament and go out on the boats during the tournament to help the kids catch their fish. A video from this event will be posted soon.

First Farmers Attends KCS's Organizational Day

On August 10th, First Farmers sponsored the Kokomo School Corporation's Organizational Day. During this day, breakfast is served for approximately 1500 staff members at Kokomo School Corporation and they attend meetings. After breakfast, First Farmers, along with a few other businesses, were available to answer questions about the bank that employees might have and gave away a free gift. First Farmers is proud to partner with Kokomo School Corporation and looks forward to these events in the future.

Summer Happenings Part 1

The various branches at First Farmers Bank & Trust have been busy this summer! This article and the one following provides some information about the various events that First Farmers employees participated in and/or sponsored. Now that we’ve slowed down a little bit, we wanted to tell you about what we’ve done and what we’re planning for the fall season.

Greentown Walk for Relay

The Greentown branch of First Farmers Bank & Trust kicked off their summer with a Relay for Life Walk. The event was scheduled for May 8th, but after a rain delay, the event took place on May 15th. It was their second annual walk and had over 40 walkers this year, including several FFBT employees. It started and ended at the Howard County fairgrounds and the last leg of the walk was called Memory Lane. Along this road, 25 signs were placed and each was in memory of a cancer patient who lost their journey and In Honor signs were placed for those who are still fighting or who have survived. These signs were available for purchase for the race began. The biggest donation came from Connie Bitzell, a Huck’s employee who took up collections at the store. She brought in $326 and a close second was Jill Symons with $300. Overall, the walk raised $2500 and through their many other endeavors, including a Relay Jean Day in June, cookbook sales, bake and craft sale, and a month long auction, the Greentown branch was able to raise over $5000!

Miami County Relay for Life

The Miami County branches at First Farmers got into the Relay Spirit this year as well, raising money for Miami County. On May 1st, they held a Parking Lot and Baking Sales and many employees helped out by donating items, marking items, and donating time to help out during the day. They were able to raise $740 from this event. Patty Garvin from the Converse branch also volunteered-she sold handmade earrings and donated her proceeds to the Peru branches’ efforts. This group also held a Pampered Chef book party and Pampered Chef agreed to donate 10-15% of the sales to the American Cancer Society. In addition, the Miami County branches also sold paper feet and many local businesses donated money to the cause. The Miami County Relay was held on June 25th-26th from 3:00pm-3:00pm at the River Walk. First Farmers had employees walking during the event at all hours. Overall, First Farmers was able to raise $2000 for the American Cancer Society for their efforts.

Run for Freedom 5K/2 Mile Walk a Success in Marion

The Run for Freedom 5K took place on May 22nd at Matter Park. Several people came out to this event that raises money for the SFC Collin J Bowen Memorial Scholarship. The top 3 male finishers in the 5K were Steve Shulze, Corbin Buckler, and Ryan Velaquez. The top 3 female finishers were Sophie Seward, Tracy Lester, and Maria Brown. Feel free to click on the link to watch a highlight video from the event. Greg Thompson participated in this event and sponsored the event on behalf of First Farmers. http://vimeo.com/12927725

Russiaville Wins Auction at Western Days Festival

During the first weekend in July, First Farmers participated in Russiaville’s annual Western Days festival. Each year, the local business decorate a hat to auction at the event. This year, as First Farmers Bank & Trust, Celeste Smith and the rest of the staff decorated a Western hat with money and other FFBT items. Their hat won the auction at the festival this year, raising $62.00. This money goes to the Spirit of Russiaville to help fund next year’s festival.

Culver Branch Sponsors Swim for Kid’s Sake

This year, First Farmers’ Culver branch sponsored the Swim for Kid’s Sake event at Lake Maxinkuckee on June 12th. The idea for this event came when Mallory Mead and her father raced across Lake Maxinkuckee as part of her English Channel send-off party. The event included an open water skills clinic taught by former World Open Water Champion Erica Rose, and a ½ mile, 1 mile, 5K, and 10K race. All proceeds from the event went toward Mallory’s fundraising initiatives for Riley Hospital for Children and the PLGA Foundation. A dinner was held the night before at the Culver Cove Resort and at the event, Mallory and Erica shared their experiences. Chad Van Herk, branch manager of our Culver branch, swam in the 1 mile race and came in 1st place!! Chad sponsored the race on behalf of First Farmers and also raised an additional $300 through individual contributions from members of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce and other area businesses. Great job, Chad!

Employee Outing

On June 27th, First Farmers held an employee outing for employees and their families at the Ft. Wayne Zoo. Several employees brought their friends and family and had a great day swimming, looking at animals, and riding rides. Pictures from their experiences are posted in a separate photo album on our Facebook page.

 

4H Fair Time!

The annual 4-H Fairs are a major event for almost all of our branches. Two major events took place at the Howard County and Cass County Fairs. In addition to our Find a Friend event at the Howard County fair, several employees also helped out at the auction, purchased animals, and volunteered for other local organizations. The Cass County branches of FFBT hosted the 2nd annual performance of Cook & Belle at the Cass County 4H Fair. Cook & Belle, a Christian soul band, performed on July 15th, along with their son Seth. The employees who attended the event were impressed with the turnout for the event and thought the performance was wonderful.

At the Tipton County 4-H Fair, employees participated in several events and donated and distributed watermelon to attendees at the fair after the hog show on July 20th. The Tipton branch has been doing this for several years and enjoy being able to offer refreshments during a usually hot afternoon.

The Huntington branch purchased animals at the fair and were also available at their booth to answer questions about First Farmers and to talk about the recent news! They have also attended the Huntington County Expo and the Senior Expo.
The north branches also do a lot for the local fairs. Chad and Bruce purchased animals and Janet participated in the auction as she has for many years. They also purchased blueberries. These blueberries are donated every year by a local producer and the proceeds go to the fair board. The picture is Bruce and Janet with the two Starke County Fair Achievement Winners.

Greg Thompson bid on animals at the Grant, Blackford, Madison, and Hamilton County fairs and worked in the Pork Tent for the Indiana Pork Association at the Indiana State Fair.

At the Boone County fair, Acacia Scott, a summer intern at our Sheridan branch was named Boone County 4-H Queen.

Pictures from several of these events will be available to view in our albums this week on Facebook!