Independent Banker - April 2022 - 73

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fundraising and volunteering their
time with the aim of rebuilding
their community.
A beacon of light
The weekend after the tornado hit,
community bank employees from
across the region, from tellers up to
the C-suite, answered the needs of the
community in any way they could.
" After that first day, we gathered
at the bank to figure out [how] to
provide for our clients, " Overby says.
" We would have small groups that
went out into the community and
tried to help them with basic physical
needs, picking up debris, taking
meals to people in their homes. Then,
[we just went] from door to door,
knocking, to see if we could help
with anything. "
When outages affected the region,
First Kentucky Bank used generators
to restore ATM power so customers
could access emergency cash.
At First Southern National Bank in
Stanford, Ky., many staff members-
one of whom lost their own house in
the disaster-volunteered to help the
fire department and rescue personnel
at command posts established at a
local elementary school, a convention
center and churches to distribute
rations and necessities.
" We try to be a lantern for the needs
that we can meet and [try to] bring a
little hope down the road, " says Lanie
Gardner, community president of the
$1 billion-asset community bank.
" That's what everyone wants to do:
to make a tiny bit of difference, to
help alleviate some fear, to help the
cleanup so you know what you have. "
Helping hands
Community banks also helped their
devastated communities with muchneeded
financial support.
FNB Bank, whose Mayfield
headquarters saw extensive damage
" We would have
small groups that
went out into the
community and
tried to help them
with basic physical
needs, picking
up debris, taking
meals to people in
their homes. Then,
[we just went]
from door to door,
knocking, to see if
we could help with
anything. "
-STACY OVERBY,
FIRST KENTUCKY BANK
during the tornado, partnered
with First Kentucky Bank, each
committing $500,000 to assist
downtown businesses, says Brooke
Wiles, vice president and marketing
director of the $653 million-asset
community bank.
" We want to bring business back, "
she says. " As if COVID times weren't
bad enough, you have a tornado. We
want people to invest in us so you can
invest back in your community. "
To maximize involvement, FNB
Bank teamed up with Federal Home
Loan Bank of Cincinnati to create a
home loan program where community
members could receive up to $20,000
to rebuild or buy a home and cover
closing costs.
FNB is also involved with Homes
and Hope for Kentucky, Inc. and
Mennonite Disaster Service, to
which the community bank recently
donated $10,000. The bank also
opened a general fund anyone can
donate to.
" It's still growing leaps and bounds
every day, " says Wiles.
A network of support
What humbles Overby is the
international attention Kentucky
received in the tornado's aftermath-
ranging from donations from good
Samaritans far beyond the state's
borders to coverage by the BBC.
" The interest in the tornado
resonated from all over the world, "
he says. " People have sent supplies
and money from all over the country.
We've had individuals send in six
figures to folks they didn't even
have a connection with. Then you
see a package and you see a check
for $20. It's probably not a person of
means, but they've seen the pictures
on TV, and they're just compelled
to help. "
First Kentucky Bank continues to
collect donations for the Mayfield
Graves Tornado Relief Fund. " Banks
have been in the spirit of helping
each other, " says Overby, " where we
want to do the best we can together
to help Mayfield get back on its feet. "
The restoration of western
Kentucky may take years, but
community banks continue their
commitment, whether on site or
through relief funds and donations in
kind. It's ingrained in their cultures,
notes Gardner.
" You want to help, and that's what
community is about, " she says. " Even
if you take 'banker' out, that's what
community is about. You want to
help first-and when you know that,
it's easier to do the things you want
to do. " 
Paul Sisolak is deputy editor of
Independent Banker.
independentbanker.org Q 71
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - April 2022

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