South Dakota bankers help build Dominican church.Two Sioux Falls bankers recently participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic to build a church. David Rozenboom, president of First Premier Bank, and Bryan King, retail manager, First Bank & Trust, were part of a group of 10 people to travel to the island nation Jan. 28 to Feb. 5..The crew put on a roof, poured a cement floor and completed other tasks on the 20-foot by 40-foot structure. The trip was organized by a Sioux Falls group called The Dispatch Project, which encourages businesses to engage their employees in volunteer and philanthropic projects.."I was amazed by the happiness and contentment of the people we saw. Despite their incredibly limited material possessions, they were a happy and content people, " Rozenboom commented. ."Although I have difficulty putting it into words, my experience was nothing short of amazing. I can tell you that after helping the poor community in the Dominican Republic, not only do I have a desire to go back, but I also have a desire to continue extending that helping hand in the Sioux Falls community and hopefully encourage others to join me," King said..Rozenboom commented that bankers often think about serving their own communities. "But it is important to realize there are opportunities to look beyond or outside the borders of our communities," he said..Banker saves doctor on basketball court with AED.In 2005, BANKWEST of Rockford, Minn., donated $12,000 to help place Automated External Defibrillators in public buildings throughout Wright County, including three schools. The AEDs are used to restart a person's heart. The bank even offered training to teach people how to use the machines. "This project has been a great opportunity for us to live the bank's mission of building a legacy of caring," bank President Steve Huston said at the time..Fast forward seven years to January 2012. Huston and a group of guys were playing basketball in one of the schools with an AED. One of the players collapsed during the pick-up game. The victim, 32-year-old Dr. Frank Anderson, went down and his heart stopped beating. Huston grabbed the AED off the wall and used to it restart Anderson's heart. Huston applied the AED's electrical pads onto Anderson's chest as shown in the unit's pictorial directions; the machine delivered a shock and his heart started up again. Emergency personnel who arrived minutes later said Huston likely saved Anderson's life..Anderson, who is married and has three children, said he is glad he collapsed where he did because most other places would not have had the emergency equipment so readily available..Anderson is actually the second person to recently be saved by one of the AEDs in Wright County. Later this month, the local health foundation is hosting a "survivors" event to honor the two who were saved by people who used the machines..Montana bank teaches mini-banking.Students become "mini-bankers" in a program supported by First Interstate Bank of Billings, Mont. The bank's "mini bank" program promotes financial literacy and develops savings skills in students. The idea behind the mini-bank program is to get the students involved in educating their peers about saving. Currently, there are 21 mini banks across Montana and Wyoming. The program's strategy has been fruitful; students have opened 1,406 savings accounts and saved $1.1 million since the program began in 1999. First Interstate has kept the savings rate for accounts opened through the program at 4 percent, even as interest rates have bottomed out in recent years..With the support of First Interstate, the students operate a school savings bank. Four students make up a board of directors for each bank. These students run, market and name the bank. They also make their own brochures and come up with strategies that encourage students to save. First Interstate provides a laptop, a printer, a cash drawer and training on how to fill out a deposit slip..The board of directors receives real world experience in the financial industry. In the spring, the mini-bank board members appear before First Interstate's board in their bank uniform of navy blue pants and a mini-bank shirt. "We learned that running a bank is not just about providing a service to the community; a bank has to make money somehow," the students told the board..Michigan bank aids customer after devastating fire.When a fire laid low the Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo, Mich., owner Judy Sarkozy found Keystone Community Bank ready to lend a hand. On the morning of February 25, a fire reduced her store to a pile of rubble. "Everything was totally destroyed; I have no records, nothing," Sarkozy said. Even the original written recipe for the Sarkozy bread – long a staple at local food markets – was lost..Sarkozy went to the bank thinking it would freeze her account. When she approached Tom Schlueter, president of the $256 million bank, "he cut my loan payment in half by letting me go on interest only," she said. Sarkozy didn't have an office she could use to start over. "I told Tom I had nowhere to work; he told me he would see what he could do. The next thing I know I have an office at the bank," she said. Sarkozy also lost her computer in the fire. "I told him I didn't have a computer and an employee of the bank brought in a private computer for me to use," she said..Sarkozy Bakery has been a part of the Kalamazoo community since 1978 and has donated bread daily to the Kalamazoo Men's Gospel Mission. "She walked in Monday morning with no place to go. We took her to an open office, gave her a laptop and gave her time to figure out what she wanted to do. It was the right thing to do," Schlueter said..Chicago bank's donation helps kids cope with cancer.Great Lakes Bank of Chicago recently donated hundreds of toys, gift cards and $100 to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation's Orland Park, Ill., facility. Great Lakes Bank Foundation facilitated the donation from the bank which has been serving the Chicago Southland community since 1896.."Because of the generosity of the Great Lakes Bank Family the Treasure Chest Foundation will be able to present toys and gift cards to children and teens undergoing years of medical procedures while being treated for cancer," said Colleen Kisel, founder of the Treasure Chest Foundation. "Great Lakes Bank brings joy and hope to children going through a difficult time.".The POTCF is a non-profit organization that provides comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children and teens diagnosed with cancer..Bank major sponsor of Nebraska's newest sports arena.Pinnacle Bank is putting its name on the new sports arena in Lincoln, Neb. Mayor Chris Beutler, Pinnacle Bancorp Chairman Sid Dinsdale and Pinnacle Bank President Mark Hesser announced the naming rights agreement at a news conference at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. ."Pinnacle is a top-notch Nebraska company, and we are excited that the Pinnacle name will now be associated with Lincoln's new top-of-the-line arena," said Mayor Beutler. "This long-term partnership is a positive reflection of Pinnacle Bank, the new arena and the future of our community."."Pinnacle Bank has been serving Nebraska and Lincoln for many years, and we are excited to support progress that will have a positive impact on our state and local economy," Dinsdale said. "We are proud to be part of the arena, which will help bring jobs and entertainment to Lincoln and the state for years to come.".The $179 million arena project was approved by voters in 2010. Pinnacle Bank Arena is expected to open in the fall of 2013. University of Nebraska-Lincoln basketball will be the main tenant of the 470,400-square-foot facility, which will hold nearly 15,000 fans for Husker hoops.
