Four local non-profits were awarded $5,000 for receiving the most votes in "Investing With You" contest
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Independent Bank continues to give back to their communities through their donation campaign, Investing with You. Every Friday, employees are donating $1.50 to wear jeans, and the Bank is matching those donations, which equals $60,000 for the year. The accumulated amount each month, $5,000, is donated to a different local organization. The contest is divided into three phases. Phase one was designated to local schools in the communities served by Independent Bank. Phase two, which concluded on September 21, was devoted to local non-profit organizations in the categories of: Animal, Health, Human Services, and Military/Public Services. Phase three will begin November 1, and conclude in December.
All three phases of the contest are held on Independent Bank’s website, www.IndependentBank.com/Investing. For the second phase, the public had the opportunity to nominate a local non-profit August 1-15, 2015. Qualification criteria included a non-profit’s location being in a county that Independent Bank serves, or within 10 miles of a branch. The non-profit was also required to fit into one of the four designated categories and be considered a 501(c) organization. There were a total of 212 qualified non-profits nominated.
The voting period took place August 24 through September 7, 2015. Eligible voters had to be 18 years or older, and be a resident of Michigan for the votes to qualify. Voters were able to vote one time per day, per category for the entire voting period. “We were thrilled with the overwhelming amount of participation from our local communities in phase two of our campaign. Phase two brought over 126,000 votes for local non-profit organizations, which was an increase of over 40,000 votes from phase one. The non-profits really took it into their own hands, and promoted it on Facebook, and even posted information on their webpages to gain added support and votes. It is exciting to see so many people rally behind local organizations that do such positive work in our communities every day,” said Director of Marketing, Tricia Raquepaw.
The winning non-profit organizations were:
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Animal: Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary in Grand Rapids
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Health: Compassion Pregnancy Center in Clinton Township
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Human Services: The After 26 Depot Café in Cadillac
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Military/Public Services: Bikers 4 Books in Charlotte
Employees of Independent Bank had the privilege of learning what each non-profit intended to do with the unexpected funds, as well as presenting them with a $5,000 check.
“At Independent Bank, focusing on our communities has, and always will be, our foundation. As a community bank, we are thrilled to celebrate the work that these non-profit organizations do in our neighborhoods, and we are happy to have the opportunity to donate to their great efforts,” said President and CEO, Brad Kessel.
Dr. Jennifer Petrovich from Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary said, “We are so thankful for our dedicated fans and followers and want to let everyone know that this money will be put to excellent use, covering medical care needed to keep our kitties healthy, and provide treatment when they fall ill. Because of the dynamic efforts of our supporters, we can continue providing top-notch quality care to our Crash Cats and Sid’s Kids!”
“Compassion Pregnancy Center is beaming with joy at winning the contest sponsored by Independent Bank,” said Kathy Bazzy, Executive Director of Compassion Pregnancy Center. “The $5,000 will be put to good use in purchasing the necessary items to keep providing free pregnancy tests and limited ultrasounds to women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Educational resources in the form of pamphlets that our clients can take home with them will also be attained. A heartfelt thank you to Independent Bank for serving their community.”
Badge Velasquez, Founder of Bikers 4 Books said, “A huge thank you to Independent Bank for this donation. We would also like to thank everyone that made the effort to vote for our program in the Investing with You contest! We really appreciate each and every vote. It is quite an honor to be the recipient of this award from such a progressive business that sees the value of giving back to its community. We plan to use these funds to put a Bikers 4 Books Bookmobile on the road! We will focus our travels to low income neighborhoods, as well as other children-based institutions.”
“We so appreciate Independent Bank,” said Cathy Baker, Manager of After 26 Depot Café. “With no government assistance, our revenue comes from the business itself, and the grants and donations we receive. This award was a real boost!”
Look for our announcement of Investing with You – Phase Three within the next few weeks.
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