First Farmers' branches and employees have been very busy this summer volunteering and sponsoring various events throughout our communities. Below are a few examples of what we've participated in. For more information and photos from these and other events, visit our Facebook and Flickr pages.
Relay for Life
Howard and Miami County branches work year round to raise money for their counties' Relay for Life organizations. Through events such as "Second Chance Prom", Cards for the Cure, Walk for Relay, Howard County branches were able to raise over $10,000 and Miami County branches were able to raise over $2500. Keep checking in to learn more about events that will take place to benefit this great cause!
4-H Fairs
Each year, commercial officers and branch managers spend time at their counties' 4-H fairs. They help at the auction, help man booths, and purchase animals. This year was no different. In addition, the Cass County branches again hosted Cook & Belle at the Cass County 4-H Fair. Cook & Belle is a soul/gospel group that is very popular in our area and put on a great show. We were happy to be able to sponsor them again. At the Tipton County Fair, Tipton officers served watermelon during the Hog Show. Visitors were eager for something refreshing as they were working in record heat. At the Howard County Fair, FFBT sponsored Pioneer Village celebrated it's 25th anniversary, the last remaining Round Barn in Howard County was being assembled, and First Farmers gave four lucky winners "A Night on the Town" at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Indy.
CASA Sand Sculpture Artfest
For the third consecutive year, CASA of Grant County held Sand Sculpture Artfest. This event was developed by the two children of FFBT's Commercial Lender, Michael Belcher. Greg Thompson, a Grant County resident and FFBT Loan Officer, and his family competed on behalf of First Farmers. The event was a huge success. More information on the event can be found at CASA of Grant County's Facebook Page.
Peru Circus & Customer Appreciation
During the week of July 17th, the city of Peru welcomed the Circus and held a Circus Parade on Saturday. All of the businesses decorated in a Circus Theme and the Peru River branch hosted a Customer Appreciation Week. They had popcorn, drinks, and balloons for the kids. They also gave away prizes each day. Alice Dawalt, Carrie Taylor, Gene Winters, and Deb Cline were daily winners of FFBT gear. Sue Burnett was the lucky grand prize winner of 2 Indiana Beach Passes!
Jim "Moose" Carden Kid's Fishing Clinic
FFBT again sponsored the Fishing Clinic that is held at Kokomo High School and the Kokomo Resevoir each summer. This year, an anonymous donor paid the entry fee for over 100 kids that signed up to attend. They receive lessons from local fisherman about bait, responsible fishing, lures, cleaning fish, and many other topics. They also each receive a rod and reel and various prizes. One of the highlights of the training portion of the clinic is seeing Scotty Lucas perform tricks. Scotty has been at the Clinic for over 25 years now and teaches kids trickcasting and teachers parents the importance of spending time with children, even if it's not fishing. At the end of training, on Saturday, July 30th, many boat captains take the kids out for a fishing tournament. They separate the kids into age brackets and after the fish are weighed, hand out awards and serve lunch. The winners were:
Ages 6-9 Division: Dakota Thompson
Ages 10-12 Division: Parker Sullivan
Ages 13-15 Division: Alex Knight
Biggest Catch of the Day: Allison George
Bart Alexander, Commercial Loan Officer at FFBT, volunteers extensively at the event, along with his 3 girls.
Summer Reading Club
FFBT again sponsored the Kokomo Library's Summer Reading Club and attended the after party on July 21st at Kokomo Beach. Throughout the summer, kids are given reading assignments based on their age group and this year's theme was "Around the World".
Duck Derby
First Farmers sponsored this year's Duck Derby at Kokomo Beach that was hosted by Samaritan Caregivers. Employees manned a tent and raffled off beach towels throughout the event. Our FFBT Duck, created by Linda Clark, placed 10th in the race! Despite the heat, several attended the event and had fun watching the race and cooling off in the pool later.
Wabash Business After Hours
On Thursday, July 28th, the Wabash branch hosted Business After Hours through the Chamber of Commerce. They recently updated the inside of the branch with new paint and furnishings. The event lasted from 4-6pm and there were snacks and drinks for everyone. Each attendee also received a gift from First Farmers, a rain gauge. Now let's hope for some rain!
Corporate Challenge
Several employees participated in this year's Miami County Corporate Challenge, and overall FFBT placed 5th! Peru Utilities came in first place, followed by Orion Safety Products, Doane Keyes, and Western Reman.
In the 18 Hole Golf Scramble event, the FFBT team of Paul McCann, Paul Maish, Mark Jones, and Kent Glassburn placed 2nd. In the Women's 1.6 Mile Run, Allysha Brown placed 1st with a time of 11:52! In Bowling event, two teams competed for FFBT. Kris & Justin Heirs and Amanda & Zach Frey placed 5th and Carol Savage, Paul Maish, and Amy & Greg Million placed 7th. In the Fishing Derby, Pam Camden and her family placed 4th. In the cornhole event, Carrie Minns and Dick Schaffhausen teamed up and got 8th place. In the Men's Racquetball competition, Ron Douglas came in 1st place! Great job, FFBT teams!
To view photos from these events, go to our Flickr page at www.flickr.com/firstfarmers. We'll continue to update you on events as they come up, so check back often!
