Regroup and refocus. It’s been the theme of our year here at TFNB Your Bank for Life. I’m sure it’s been the same for you and your family, too.
This year has given us pause to take a critical look at our priorities. It has sparked important conversations on how we can better serve our customers even in the midst of momentous change.
And then, last month, a welcomed surprise brought a little clarity. On Friday, we announced that TFNB’s Charity Champions program was awarded both a Gold Eagle and the “Best of Show” award at the Best of Community Banking Awards in September. It’s an incredible honor. One made even more significant by the vast number of community banks the award program includes.
As the largest state community banking organization, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas includes a membership of over 2,000 banks from 700 Texas communities. And Charity Champions — TFNB’s community initiative for “helping those who help others” — was voted the best of the best.
Winning this award, this year, was a much-needed reminder that Central Texas has an undeniable spirit. So many of us are willing to lend a hand. It’s something that’s comforting during times like these, and something that you don’t find just anywhere. This generous spirit makes it easy for TFNB to celebrate the helping hands of our community.
We see this award as a win for Waco, not just us. It’s a testament to the incredible people who call this area home. We are proud to work with them and call them neighbors and friends.
This award also reminded us that Central Texas’ undeniable spirit is alive in so many areas of our community. Over the next several months, we’ll be stepping “out of office” and into the businesses, events, programs, and the nonprofits we partner with. We want to share more of the ways we see this spirit at work in our community. We hope to show you the value of community banking doesn’t come from what we can do in our office. It comes from what we choose to do in the community. Building personal connections is central to our mission. It only happens when we meet people where they are and see things from their point of view.
As community bankers, we take our families to the restaurants and shops of our customers. We visit the construction sites of new businesses. We sponsor local events that our friends attend, and we provide resources to the charities that are hard at work in our neighborhood.
We’re the first to admit: “corporate”, bureaucratic banking has never been our style. The relationships central to our mission are built out of the office and in the community; it’s where we can do the most good.
Follow along on social media as we take you out of office with us.
Jason Lavender is SVP of Strategic Initiatives at TFNB Your Bank for Life. TFNB is a 131-year-old organization serving thousands of customers in Central Texas. It is the oldest bank charter in McLennan County and the seventh oldest in the state of Texas.
