OAK RIDGE, N.J., February 17, 2015 — Lakeland Bank provided $536,000 in contributions in 2014 to support nonprofit organizations in the eight counties they serve, and raised record donations at their two annual golf outings. Additionally, colleagues spent 14,500 hours volunteering for nonprofit organizations and personally gave $34,000 to support charities through the Bank’s Jeans Day program.
“Giving back to the communities we serve is one of our Bank’s key core values, and we are proud of the support and resources we provide to the local community,” said Thomas J. Shara, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lakeland Bank. “And we are especially proud of the commitment of our colleagues to the Bank’s community service initiatives as well as the personal time and funds they put forth to make a difference.”
Colleagues support the Bank’s community service initiatives
Our colleagues have been at the helm of the Bank’s charity initiatives for many years. They have donated their time, talent and monetary gifts to ensure each initiative is a success, and 2014 was no exception.
- Our colleagues help teach the basic fundamentals of banking and the importance of responsible money management to children as well as young adults. For more than a decade, we have brought the Teach Children to Save program to 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade classrooms at many local schools, and are now reaching out to high school students to share the important message of Get Smart About Credit Day held in October.
- Colleagues are permitted to wear jeans on Fridays if they make a donation to a specific charity. In June, through the Jeans Day program, they donated $3,350 to support the Sussex County Golf Classic. For 33 years, the Bank has hosted this event to raise funds for nonprofit organizations serving residents and their families in the county and surrounding area. The 2014 event raised nearly $60,000.
- The 41st Lakeland Bank Annual Scholarship Golf Outing in September raised a record $125,000 due to the tremendous effort by colleagues to encourage customers and business partners to support this event. Scholarships range from $1,500 to $2,000 and will be distributed this spring to at more than 50 high schools in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.
- During the Holiday season, Share-A-Gift trees were displayed in every Branch with details about how to fulfill a wish for someone in need. Each Branch selected a local charity in their market to sponsor, and colleagues at corporate headquarters and the operations center donated gifts to the Boys and Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic. Nearly 2,100 gifts were donated and distributed locally.
- Colleagues donated $34,000 to nonprofit organizations through the Jeans Day program supporting charities such as Meals on Wheels, American Heart Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society, SCARC, The ARC of NJ, Wounded Warriors Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and area animal shelters.
Supporting organizations that serve and protect our neighbors
When the Little Falls community provided a warm welcome to the new Branch Manager, the Bank expressed its appreciation by making a $1,000 donation to the Little Falls Firefighters Association. The Fire Department has supported the area for over 100 years, and that dedication and service exemplifies the Bank’s philosophy of the importance of giving back to the community. President and CEO Tom Shara, Board Member Stephen Tilton and Branch Manager Kim Trimmer presented the donation to Little Falls Mayor Darlene Post, Fire Chief Jack Sweezy, Jr. and his fellow department members.
Lakeland Bank President & CEO Tom Shara and colleagues Nina Luongo, Marcia Eisen and Tracy Conklin presented a $750 donation to Finding One Another for its K9 National Security Gift Project to benefit the Bergen County Police K9 Unit. Sergeant David Donow explained how military grade tracking leashes purchased with the donation would assist the Unit, and Police Officer Ken Keenan introduced his partner K9 Kahn. A key goal of the Project is to supply a K9 Storm Intruder Vest to one National Security K9 Unit in every state. The vest is slash/stab/bullet resistant and features a camera system that provides day and night vision capabilities and can penetrate multiple steel fortified concrete barriers. After learning about the advanced technology of the K9 tactical equipment and the advantages it would provide the Bergen County Police K9 team, the Bank made a $5,000 donation toward the purchase of a K9 Intruder Vest.
List of local police, fire and first aid organizations the Bank supported in 2014:
Bergen County Police K9 Unit
Bernardsville Fire Co. and First Aid Squad
Bloomingdale Volunteer Fire Department
Boonton Fire Department
Boonton PBA Local 212
Branchville Hose Co.
Caldwell Police Department
Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department
Jefferson PBA Local 190
Jefferson Twp. Fire Company
Little Falls Firefighters Association
Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Montville First Aid Squad
Montville Police Department
Newton Fire Department
NJ Firemen’s Home
North Caldwell Police Foundation
PAL of Parsippany Troy Hills
Park Ridge DARE
Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Dept.
Pequannock Twp. Police PBA Local 172
Pine Brook Fire Dept.
Police Unity Tour
Pompton Falls Volunteer Fire Dept.
Ogdensburg First Aid Squad
Ringwood PBA Local 247
Stanhope Hose Company
Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad
Sussex County PBA Local 138
Tri-Boro First Aid Squad
Wayne PAL
West Milford First Aid Squad
As a community bank, we must help build strong, vibrant neighborhoods.
Lakeland Bank takes this corporate responsibility seriously and through corporate contributions and colleague volunteerism supports the Habitat for Humanity in Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties as well as the Coastal Habitat for Humanity and other organizations that promote homeownership such as Rebuilding Together and the Housing Partnership.
- Lakeland Bank contributed to Paterson Habitat for Humanity’s Northside Neighborhood Revitalization Project, a plan approved by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC). The Bank’s $75,000 donation will increase opportunities for affordable home ownership and improve conditions in Paterson’s Northside community.
- In June, a Lakeland Bank Team participated on the final day of the Paterson Habitat for Humanity 2014 Corporate Challenge. During the four week challenge, 30 companies accepted the Challenge and sent over 800 employees—raising over $200,000!
- In September, an all-female team of Lakeland Bank colleagues travelled to Neptune to participate in the NJ Banker’s program “Banker’s Response to Sandy” to help Coastal Habitat for Humanity. The team dug a 12-foot long trench that was 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep, mixed and poured twenty bags of concrete, moved lumber and some volunteers laid and nailed plywood sub-floor on the third floor deck.
Live, work and play… coming together to celebrate our communities!
Lakeland Bank sponsors many community events in the markets we serve throughout the year. These events range from annual town days, three-day festivals and the week-long NJ State Fair to farmer’s markets, fire work celebrations and St. Patrick’s Day parades. And they all have one thing in common…they bring members of the community together.
Partial List of Community Events and Organizations Lakeland Bank Supported in 2014:
Bergen Community College Foundation
Birth Haven
Boonton Farmers Market
Byram Day
Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County
Boy Scouts of America: Patriots Path Council
Caldwell Street Fair
Carlstadt Little League
Chilton Medical Center Foundation
Englewood Chamber of Commerce
Department for Persons with Disabilities
Girl Scouts of Northern NJ – Women of Achievement Awards
Father John’s Animal House
Franklin Night
Kinnelon Public Library
Lakeland Hills YMCA
Lenape Valley Soccer Club
Metropolitan YMCA
Montville Twp. Independence Day Celebration
Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Newton 150th Celebration Day
North Haledon Day
Park Ridge American Legion Post 153
Ramapo College Foundation
SCARC
Shelter Our Sisters
Sparta Farmers Market
Special Olympics 2014 Special Games
Summit July 4th Celebration
Sussex County Community College
Sussex-Wantage Girls Softball
United Way of Northern NJ
Wanaque Town Picnic
West Milford Rotary Club
Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce
YMCA of Greater Bergen
Caption: From left to right Lakeland Bank colleagues Marcia Eisen, Nina Luongo and Tom Shara stand with Chief Higgins, Capt. James Mullin, Sgt. David Donow and, in front, P.O. Ken Keenan with partner K9 Kahn of the Bergen County Police.
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bancorp (NASDAQ: LBAI), the holding company for Lakeland Bank, has $3.5 billion in total assets with 51 offices spanning eight northern New Jersey counties: Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Lakeland Bank, headquartered in Oak Ridge, offers an extensive array of consumer and commercial products and services, including online and mobile banking, localized commercial lending teams, an expanded residential mortgage lending platform and 24-hour-or-less turnaround on consumer loan applications. For more information about the full line of products and services, visit LakelandBank.com.
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