On Saturday, May 30th, approximately 18 bikes participated in the Greentown branch’s 3rd annual Ride for Relay to benefit Relay for Life. The ride started at the Greentown branch at 10:15, and then proceeded to Kokomo’s Harley-Davidson store, our FFBT Elwood branch, Wabash branch, and Peru branch before stopping at our headquarters in Converse for lunch and prize drawings. The 1st place prize went to Alan Wyant and 2nd place went to Cameron Keck. The event helped raise over $400 for Relay for Life, contributing to the Greentown branch’s total contribution of $3859. Greentown has sold cookbooks, held rides and walks, and has participated in many other activities to help the Relay for Life’s cause.
Community
June 09, 2009
May 14, 2009
May 05, 2009
Greentown Holds Walk for Relay
Earlier this month, the staff at our Greentown location held a Walk for Relay to benefit Relay for Life of Howard County. Approximately 60 people (and 2 dogs!) participated in the event and raised a little over $2700. In addition, they have been selling homemade Mother's Day cards with all proceeds being donated to the organization as well.
In late May, they will be holding their annual Ride for Relay. The proceeds from this event, as well as the card sales and the Walk for Relay, will be donated together to Relay for Life. For information about the Ride for Relay, to sign up to ride, or to donate, please contact Jodi Cecil at (765) 628-3309.
April 23, 2009
March 24, 2009
FFBT Contributes to White’s High School Gym Renovation
Recently, First Farmers Bank & Trust, along with others, was honored at White’s High School. In a pre-game ceremony, White’s High School rededicated their newly remodeled gym and unveiled a plaque honoring all contributors. Kathy Jones, branch manager in Wabash, and Dave Eikenberry, Director of Operations, were present during the ceremony.
January 07, 2009
Celebration of Light
On
November 21st, First Farmers Bank & Trust, along with the city of
Wabash and the County of Wabash, held and sponsored the annual
Celebration of Light on the north courthouse steps. First Farmers Bank
& Trust became involved in this event after the event was almost
cancelled due to sponsorship issues. Kathy Jones, branch manager at the
FFBT Wabash location, announced that she would help sponsor the event,
and the Celebration of Light was saved.
This year, Jennifer McConahay, FFBT Customer Service Representative from Wabash, emceed the event, Emily Perkins led holiday carols, Theresa Carroll gave a holiday message, and Bob Vanlandingham, the Mayor of Wabash, talked about the Celebration and began the lighting ceremony. During the ceremony, Bob lit his candle, then proceeded to light the City Counsel’s candles as well. After the whole crowd’s candles were lit, the courthouse Christmas lights turned on above.
After the courthouse was lit, Santa Claus showed up in a fire truck and passed candy canes out to all of the children. According to Kathy Jones, “My biggest thrill of the entire celebration is when I hear the siren of the fire truck bringing Santa to the celebration to see all of the kids.”
First Farmers Bank & Trust and the staff at Wabash enjoy sponsoring and participating in this wonderful holiday event each year, and are already looking forward to next year!
January 06, 2009
Helping Schools in the Community
Employees at First Farmers Bank & Trust are dedicated to teaching local students in the community. Whether through Junior Achievement, Reading Railroad, or other types of participation, our employees spend time each year teaching students of all ages about personal financing, identity theft protection, credit, the economy, world trade, budgeting, and many other topics.
J
unior
Achievement is an organization dedicated to educating students about
workforce readiness. It provides a structured curriculum to follow, but
also leaves room for volunteers to provide their own experiences. They
assign these volunteers to specific classrooms and specific times. Amy
Million, Amanda Schmidt, and Jennifer Van Horn all volunteer their time
to Peru High School. This year, one topic taught at Peru High School
was about career aspirations and the requirements for each position. On
the first day of class, the students wrote down what they wanted their
career to be. After learning about skills, goals, values, and ethics
that are involved in each career, many of the students changed their
minds by the end of the course. By breaking down each part of a career,
many were able to find a career that they had a significant interest
in. Amanda Schmidt, HR Benefits Specialist at our Peru office, states,
“This program was very beneficial for the students, especially at this
age. Most of these students are at a point in their lives where they
are just starting to think about the real world. The hands-o
n
activities and shared experiences from volunteers penetrate their minds
and get them to think more in-depth about their future.”
Beth Tilley, Jennifer McConahay, Deb Ploss, Greg Thompson, and Bruce Shanks also volunteer their time to Junior Achievement at schools in the area. Beth has volunteered at Tri-Central High School. The basis of her curriculum was product development. The students were asked to create and name a company, and then come up with a product to market and sell. They were required to make enough money in sales to pay for company operations and the remainder was given to a charity of the students’ choice. They were also asked to elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc for the company and had to set up a bank account to manage their funds. Jennifer volunteers her time at Northfield Middle School, teaching 6th graders about world trade and 8th graders about budgeting. Bruce has volunteered at Knox High School for the past two years. The focus of his curriculum has been on personal finance for junior and senior students. Greg Thompson has volunteered at Liberty Elementary School, teaching 6th graders about economic principles and current economic conditions.
While
many employees are volunteers for Junior Achievement, some of our
employees, such as Deb Ploss, Joyce Flick, and Jodi Cecil volunteer for
other educational purposes. Every month, Deb reads to 1st graders at
Galveston Elementary through the Reading Railroad Program. Joyce and
Jodi visit Eastern School Corporation several times each year and teach
a variety of topics. Most recently, they taught several classes from
7th grade through the senior classes in conjunction with the ABA
Education Foundation’s ‘Teach Children About Credit Day’. For the high
school students, Joyce and Jodi discussed why credit is important in
your life. They also covered what to expect when you open a checking
account, and how to protect yourself from identity theft. For 7th and
8th graders, they discussed the Federal Reserve, inflation, and how U.S
currency is protected against counterfeiters.
The employees volunteer their time to local schools because they thoroughly enjoy teaching students something that isn’t often taught in a classroom setting. They love listening to students’ ideas and answering any questions that come up. But mostly, they enjoy the looks on students’ faces when they see that something has made sense and that they have learned something new.
December 29, 2008
First Farmers Bank & Trust Attends Hoosier Heartland Highway Gathering
In
late October, Kathy Jones and Doug Wilcox joined several other business
members in the area to celebrate the groundbreaking for the last leg of
the Hoosier Heartland highway project. This project began in the early
1970s and was headed by Glenn Tanner, Jack Porter, and Phil Magner.
After over 30 years of discussions, funding, and construction, the last
leg of the project is beginning in Lafayette. Surviving founder Phil
Magner was present at the event, along with Jack Porter’s widow Naomi.
During the ceremony, Governor Mitch Daniels spoke and broke ground.
Afterward, he signed the shovels and gave them to the Magners and
Naomi. This project has and will continue to bring new businesses and
travelers to the areas between Lafayette and Huntington and will help
promote the safety of all those traveling on this highway.
FFBT Sponsors Event Featuring NBA Hall of Fame Member Clyde Lovellette
On
September 22nd, First Farmers Bank & Trust sponsored, and Wabash
branch manager Kathy Jones attended, a special event held to promote
needed gym and pool renovations at White’s Residential and Family
Center. What made this event so special was that Clyde Lovellette,
former coach and teacher at White’s and also an NBA Hall of Fame
Member, was the featured speaker. Lovellette was the first basketball
player in history to play on NCAA, Olympic, and NBA championship teams,
and during his career scored 11,947 points and grabbed 6,663 rebounds.
The evening began with a welcome and prayer from White’s CEO, followed
by dinner, and a speech from Lovellette. After dinner, Clyde stayed for
a picture and autograph session. His attendance truly made for a great
evening, and First Farmers Bank & Trust was proud to sponsor this
event.
