Second National Bank has an established reputation for playing a vital, active role in the communities where we do business.
"Second National is known for being among the first to respond to requests from social and community agencies," says Alan G. Brant, President and Chief Executive Officer, "and for setting a positive example for other companies."
Time and time again, local service organizations look to Second National to help create a better quality of life for the individuals that call Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Summit and Portage counties home. They also count on Second National to provide the corporate leadership that is so critical to the success of charitable efforts.
And Second National delivers, by reinvesting in the communities we serve and by being an active participant. As a Bank, Second National donates significant time and resources each year to the community. Our long-standing history of support includes both ongoing contributions to established organizations and new funding to respond to the changing needs of our society.
Second National Bank lives this philosophy of community giving both at a corporate level--and individually. In fact, people are the key ingredient in all of these activities.
"Many, many Second National employees give of themselves to help others," says Mr. Brant. "We recognize and value their individual contributions as both a reflection and extension of Second National Bank."
From training young people, to ringing the Salvation Army bell, to creating new agencies, Second National staff can be found in a variety of volunteer roles throughout Northeast Ohio. Here are just a few of their stories, along with highlights of Second National's most recent gifts to the community.
Saving life and property in Howland
Some guys hunt or fish. Others bowl or golf. Jim Foster fights fires.
"There are some nights where I've gone on back-to-back calls," says Mr. Foster, a volunteer member of the Howland Township Fire Department for the past five years. "I've left a working house fire at 7 a.m. to go home, shower, and come to work at the Bank." Mr. Foster, Second National's Compliance Officer, is on-call at the Fire Department seven days a week (whenever he's not at the Bank). His beeper calls him to 3-4 working fires and nearly 200 emergency calls every year.
The commitment also requires Mr. Foster to participates in a three-hour training every Monday evening at the Fire Department. He is also an emergency medical technician, a certification that required more than 100 hours of training at the Trumbull County Joint Vocational School--and continuing education.
"I grew up around the fire station," says Mr. Foster, whose father was a volunteer. "This is a family tradition."
Many of his volunteer comrades are also children of former firefighters--men who worked in Warren's steel mills. Whereas volunteer firefighters in decades past were often in training to become professionals, most of today's volunteers are not looking to become full-time firefighters.
"I'm proud to say that I'm here because I want to be, not because I'm being paid to do this job," says Mr. Foster. "And it certainly breaks the monotony of everyday life."
Pass the nachos and cheese
Debbie Weaver is another SNB employee who has made volunteering a second job--especially during the summer.
Ms. Weaver, who works in Time Deposit Savings, participates in fundraisers and runs the concession stand at for Southington Summer Baseball League, where her children play throughout the summer.
"Since I work full-time, it is a way to spend time with my kids," says Ms. Weaver. "And I really enjoy it."
You'd have to enjoy it to be as dedicated as Ms. Weaver--she opens and closes (and often runs) the stand six nights a week from May through August. Which means she leaves work at 5:30 p.m. and goes directly to the ball field to get the coffee brewing in time for the first game at 6:15 p.m. (forget dinner). She doesn't get home until the last game is over--about 9:30 p.m.
"I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing something for the community," says Ms. Weaver. But do her children appreciate it? "They better," she says.
A banker and a teacher
When Tim Busby was asked to join the Junior Achievement (JA) Board of Directors, he figured it was a good fit for him.
"In my Walter Mitty life, I'd like to be a teacher," says Mr. Busby, Assistant Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer.
While being involved in the community is part-in-parcel to positions like Mr. Busby's, he went beyond the call of his board position to become more involved in JA. In addition to coordinating this year's Second National team in the JA Bowlathon, recruiting 40 bowlers from the Bank, he also just completed a tour as a volunteer teacher at Lakeview Middle School, where he presented basic business and finance lessons for 10 weeks.
"Volunteering in the classroom was my biggest charge," says Mr. Busby, who discussed household budgets and resume writing, among other topics. "The kids seemed to get a lot out of it and so did I."
In the last two years, Junior Achievement has consolidated separate organizations from Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties into one emphasizing classroom education. This year JA will help teach 3,700 students with just 130 volunteers.
"By reaching out to these students, we help ground them in reality," says Mr. Busby. "We help them get started thinking about personal finance and a career."
Helping JA
For the past five years, Second National Bank has contributed to Junior Achievement to help bring its educational programming to children in grades K-12. Funds are used for programming, books, and materials.
Leading SNB in local communities
As branch managers and lenders, being involved in the community brings invaluable business contacts--and helps Second National stay true to our mission as a regional community bank. But it also brings personal rewards.
"It is good to be involved and visible for the Bank," says E. Ann Phelan, Branch Banking Officer, Hudson, who is involved in Hudson's Womens Club, Rotary, Blossom Women's Committee, and as a director at the Hudson Chamber. "I really believe part of our existence is to help other people, a way of paying for your time on this earth."
Gretchen Cram, Branch Banking Officer in Garrettsville, is understated about her involvement in multiple community activities--including the distinction of being the first woman admitted to the Western Reserve Kiwanis Club.
"I'm busy," she says. "But I've made a lot of new friends."
Reaching out to patients
Imagine giving up your precious Saturday mornings for community service. That's what Kathy Slanco, Loan Administration, and Sharon Davis, Bulk File, have done for five years at St. Joseph Riverside Hospital.
Ms. Slanco and Ms. Davis, both now associate members of the hospital's Auxiliary, joined the volunteer staff together to spend every other Saturday morning pushing the gift cart throughout the hospital.
"We enjoyed talking and spending time with the patients, especially those that didn't have many visitors," says Ms. Slanco. "And we always peaked into the nursery to look at the newborns . . . what a miracle!"
A Commitment to Health and Care
Second National is a dedicated supporter of both Trumbull Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph Riverside Hospital.
At Trumbull Memorial, SNB recently pledged to underwrite a chemotherapy suite in the new Cancer Care Center. The expanded and renovated center, which is due to open this fall, will enable more cancer patients to be treated on an outpatient basis--and close to home. "This is one more example of how SNB is a community participant and how it is quick to take a strong leadership role," says Carolyn Anderson, Executive Director of the TMH Foundation. She added that Second National was the first financial institution to contribute to the new center and a major factor in encouraging other corporate support.
At St. Joseph's, Second National Bank is the proud sponsor of a room at the New Start Treatment Center.
"Second National's long-standing interest and support of New Start have greatly aided the extraordinary progress of this treatment center in its important mission of helping those unfortunate victims of chemical dependency," says Edward Toth, Jr., President and CEO of the hospital's Development Foundation.
The newly renovated and expanded center can accommodate 18 residential clients in a homelike setting.
Scouting with SNB
Being a den leader has gotten Dan Kollar involved in lots of things--like bake sales, camping trips, and the ultimate Boy Scout tradition--the Pinewood Derby. Most importantly, it has given him time with his son, and helped him learn the needs of young boys.
"This is a great way to give community service," says Mr. Kollar, Loan Review.
Kim Pomykala, a Teller in Aurora, Deanna Ludwick, Customer Service Representative at Elm Road, and Shelby Castle, a Teller in Garrettsville--all of whom are involved in the Girl Scouts--couldn't agree more.
Ms. Pomykala is "cookie mom" for her daughter's troop--which makes her responsible for ordering and distributing cookie orders. As a troop leader, Mr. Ludwick guides 21 Brownies and Juniors--including her daughter Annette--in projects and activities that they might not otherwise have an opportunity to do.
"A lot of the girls come from single-parent homes where parents don't have extra time to spend with their children," says Ms. Ludwick, who takes the girls on camping trips and coordinates community service projects.
Having six "Daisies" (the precursor to Brownies) is a handful, but what surprised Ms. Castle most about leading a troop was the amount of paperwork.
"The time commitment required makes it difficult to find troop leaders," she says. "But for me, it's a great way to be involved with my daughter as she grows up."
Golfing for Scouts
Second National Bank is a major sponsor of the annual golf tourney benefiting the Greater Western Reserve Council Boy Scouts of America. The event, which features a touring pro from the PGA, attracts 225 golfers and raises $50,000 for local Boy Scouts, which number more than 13,000.
Day Camp for Girls
Thanks to Second National Bank, 100 inner-city girls age 5-17 will again have an opportunity to participate in an annual day camp this summer hosted by the Lake Erie-to-Ohio River Girl Scout Council. The three-day camp at Perkins Park has been sponsored by SNB for the past three years and offers the girls a fun-packed schedule of activities designed to boost self-esteem. Karen Yankush, the Coucil's CEO, says that without Second National, the camp wouldn't be possible.
Talking to Kids
Sandra Matlock, Second National's CRA Specialist, and her husband Glenn are also concerned with children--everyone's children.
"Mine was the house on the block where all the kids hung out," says Ms. Matlock, who has raised four boys of her own. From there, she and her husband became formally involved in youth groups through their church and more recently, at the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC).
"The JJC asked my husband and I to come and talk to juveniles that were incarcerated," says Ms. Matlock, who has been working with young people for 25 years now. "We jumped at that opportunity."
Once or twice a week, the Matlocks visit the JJC to talk to young offenders being detained for crimes as small as petty theft--or as serious as murder.
"We have lots of success stories out of the JJC," says Ms. Matlock, who talks with the children about their hopes, dreams, and aspirations. "We have kids who run up to us and say 'I'm not selling drugs anymore. I'm working at Burger King.'"
Last year, the Matlock's were invited to participate in a local non-profit organization called Teen Straight Talk, a program on sexuality presented to schools and groups all over Northeast Ohio.
"We talk to young people to help them establish a foundation of good morals, self-esteem, and education," says Ms. Matlock. "Sexual issues are one of their greatest pressures and you'd be amazed at the number of children who say to us, 'this isn't what I want right now. Help me get away from it.'"
Founded in 1989, Teen Straight Talk has touched the lives of more than 20,000 young people and parents. Its corp of six volunteers, including a physician and an AIDS specialist travel throughout the area wherever they are invited to speak.
"The challenges are great," she says, citing the breakdown of the family and our instant-gratification society. "But seeing a 14-year-old give birth or a child become paralyzed after being shot just drives me to do more."
Creating A Safe Place
Long before the issue of domestic violence was lifted into the public conscience, Eileen Dyett, Communications Department, was painfully aware of its presence.
While volunteering for the Rape Crisis Team of Trumbull County in the '70s, Eileen Dyett and five other members noticed an increase in phone calls from married women involved in abusive situations.
They took it upon themselves to form a Domestic Violence Task Force, volunteering to be "on call" every sixth day to any woman in Trumbull County who needed their help. That meant providing counseling, support, and if necessary, shelter at a local hotel--paid out of their own pocket--at any time of the day or night.
Increased use of the Domestic Violence Task Force prompted the group to seek funds for a permanent shelter in 1981. A few grants later, Some Place Safe, Inc. (Ms. Dyett thought of the name) was officially opened in a large home--refurbished through the sweat equity and personal resources of its founders.
"I believe you have to do something to give back to the community, to justify taking up space on the earth," says Ms. Dyett.
Today, Some Place Safe is a private non-profit agency providing comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence to residents of Trumbull County--in 1994 alone, the agency helped 117 women and 147 children.
A paid staff of seven and 20 volunteers are now guided by a board of directors, including Diane Manofsky, Assistant Vice President of Second National Bank.
"I was ecstatic when I was approached to become a member of the board," says Ms. Manofsky, who is also the agency's treasurer. Unfortunately, in that same year--1992--the shelter had run short of funds and was facing closure.
A fundraising drive saved the day and the agency is now running in the black with increased funding from United Way and increased proceeds from county marriage license and divorce fees.
Pitching In
A United Way-at-Work Project conducted at SNB last summer netted thousands of dollars in cleaning supplies for Some Place Safe. Second National employees from all 24 offices donated cleansers and cleaning utensils by the basket-full for the shelter during the 10-day drive.
Saving the Upton House
When Ken Conklin and a small group raised $60,000 to buy Harriet Taylor Upton's home on Mahoning Avenue in 1990, they not only saved it from the wrecking ball--they put the Upton House on the map.
"People used to ask, 'where's the Upton House?'" says Mr. Conklin of Human Resources. "Now they use the Upton House as a reference point."
In addition to serving as president of the Upton Association for three years, Mr. Conklin donated countless hours to the restoration of the home, which belonged to Ms. Upton, a principal in the women's suffrage movement.
"I really feel like it's my second home," says Mr. Conklin.
Five years after the crisis, the Association's mortgage on the home is down to $30,000 and donated antique furniture fills every room. Groups and individuals rent the Upton House an average of three times per week, and a Garden Club is working on restoring the home's vast yard, which includes a beautiful stone terrace.
Our Own Room
Second National Bank sponsored the renovation and decoration of the Upton House parlor, which is part of the home's public tour. The project included a donation of furniture from the family of Alan G. Brant.
Ringing the Bell
Perhaps nothing epitomizes volunteerism like the bellringers who stand next to Salvation Army kettles each Christmas. The Salvation Army, one of the oldest charitable organizations in the country, has drawn both Joan Suggett from Auditing and Joan Zellefrow, a Teller in Ravenna, to its corp of bellringers.
Collecting donations, serving food to the needy, caring for the sick and elderly--these are the basics of volunteering. And although every volunteer role is important, working at this intimate level often brings an immediate payback.
"I love it," says Ms. Zellefrow who also makes baked goods for Ravenna's Center of Hope hunger center. "It really makes you feel good to help others."
Growing the Salvation Army
Second National Bank is proud to have donated to the capital expansion program at the Salvation Army. Following a successful fundraising campaign, the Salvation Army dedicated its new building addition in 1993 and today serves even more children and adults with education, recreation, and social services.
