OAK RIDGE, N.J., April 5, 2016—April is ICBA Community Banking Month—a time to salute the nation’s more than 6,000 community banks and the Main Street communities they serve. Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and Lakeland Bank will share the positive story of community banks throughout the month.
“ICBA Community Banking Month is a great opportunity to celebrate community banking and share how Lakeland supports the communities where we do business,” said Thomas J. Shara, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lakeland Bank. “Investing our time, talent and resources in organizations and people that make our neighborhoods a better place to live is vital for a strong, healthy and vibrant community.”
Last year, Lakeland contributed over $500,000 as part of the Bank’s commitment to the communities it serves. The Bank has been a dedicated corporate citizen in northern New Jersey for 46 years and has broadened its support as it expanded into new markets in Monmouth and Middlesex counties and the Hudson Valley region of New York.
Access to quality medical care, affordable housing and a reasonably priced education are all components of a healthy community. And Lakeland Bank has a social responsibility to help create higher standards in living in the communities in which it operates. Here are a few of the initiatives Lakeland supported last year:
43rd Lakeland Charities Scholarship Golf Outing, Hamburg, N.J.: A record $143,000 was raised for scholarships which will be distributed to high school seniors who have demonstrated academic achievement and are from low-moderate income families.
34th Sussex County Golf Classic, Newton, N.J.: Over $65,000 was raised for local charities in Sussex County and the surrounding area.
Lakeland’s Jeans Day Program: Colleagues donated a minimum of $10 a month to wear jeans for charity raising nearly $40,000 for Meals on Wheels, American Cancer Society, Make A Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks, SCARC of Sussex & ARC, Wounded Warriors Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and area animal shelters.
Share-A-Gift: Over 1,600 gifts were collected and distributed through organizations such as: Department of Children & Families, Somerset Hills Jr. Women’s Club, Urban Renewal, Little Falls Rescue Squad, Park Ridge PBA, Shelter Our Sisters, Pass It Along, Toys 4 Tots, Center for Family Resources, Boys & Girls Club of Paterson & Passaic, and Madison PBA.
Car donation: Lakeland donated two used vehicles from its maintenance fleet to Project Self-Sufficiency. The agency’s clients learn skills to help improve their quality of life, and access to transportation is often a challenge.
Department for Persons with Disabilities: Lakeland was a major sponsor of the 2015 Wiegand Farm Golf Classic held in June.
Chilton Medical Center Foundation: Lakeland pledged to support the construction of a new Children’s Center at the hospital with a five-year Gift Agreement.
Many nonprofit organizations benefitted from the volunteer services and monetary contributions made on behalf of Lakeland Bank and its colleagues last year. Here is a sample listing:
- Alliance Against Homelessness
- Bernardsville Fire Company #1
- Boonton Main Street Farmer’s Market
- Caldwell Public Library Foundation
- Carlstadt PTA
- County College of Morris Foundation
- Englewood Hospital Foundation
- Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean counties
- Habitat for Humanity of Bergen
- Hospice of Orange and Sullivan counties, N.Y.
- Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
- Interfaith Food Pantry of Morris County
- Knights of Columbus North Haledon
- Metro YMCA of the Oranges
- Monmouth Ocean Development Council Education Foundation
- Montville First Aid Squad
- Morris Habitat for Humanity
- Newton Medical Center Foundation
- Passaic County Public Housing
- Paterson Habitat for Humanity
- Ramapo College Foundation
- Ringwood Emergency Management
- Sussex County Community College Foundation
- Teaneck Creek Conservancy
- William Paterson University Foundation
- West Milford Autumn Lights Festival
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBAI), which has $4.2 billion in total assets. The Bank operates 53 New Jersey branch offices in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties; five New Jersey regional commercial lending centers in Bernardsville, Montville, Newton, Teaneck and Wyckoff/Waldwick; and two commercial loan production offices serving Middlesex and Monmouth counties in New Jersey and the Hudson Valley region of New York. Lakeland Bank offers an extensive suite of financial products and services for businesses and consumers. Visit LakelandBank.com for more information.
About ICBA The Independent Community Bankers of America®, the nation’s voice for more than 6,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types, is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education and high-quality products and services. For more information, visit www.icba.org.
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