Independent Banker - January 2022 - 65

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Vine, Apex Bank's community bank
president. " Since our bank sits on
slightly higher ground, neither our
bank nor our community center were
damaged by floodwaters. "
Vine began talking with a young
couple he happened to see sitting
on the front steps of the community
center. They explained they had just
lost everything in the flood. " They
were still soaking wet and covered in
mud, and that's when the magnitude
of the damage began to hit me, "
he says.
" It's hard to imagine losing everything
you own in a matter of minutes, but that
is what happened to over 500 families
here on Aug. 21. "
-MARCUS VINE, APEX BANK
Vine immediately opened the
community center, allowing it to serve
as a shelter for those in need. He
arranged for food and supplies to be
brought in from a neighboring county.
" Apex team members began to show
up, and we began meeting needs and
feeding people just hours after the
flood, " Vine says.
One of those employees was
Stacy Shatswell, the Waverly, Tenn.,
office branch manager. " Stacy was
hands-on in running the center and
coordinating delivery and distribution
of supplies all throughout the
community, " Vine says.
The community center became
a central hub for those in need
of nonperishable food, clothing,
hygiene items and other supplies.
Bank employees and others cooked
and served as many as 1,500 hot
meals daily from its kitchen. All
told, the center ran 24/7 for seven
straight weeks.
" It's hard to imagine losing
everything you own in a matter of
minutes, " Vine says, " but that is what
happened to over 500 families here
on Aug. 21. "
Responding to the disaster
Apex Bank established a special
account for collecting and distributing
disaster relief donations. As of
mid-October, the community bank
had collected and disbursed more
than $194,000, which has benefited
188 families.
Apex team members
and community
volunteers pitch in
These funds have been used to aid
in cleanup efforts, provide temporary
housing and even make down
payments on vehicles; about 1,500
vehicles were damaged in the storm.
Donations continue to roll in, and
the bank disburses them on a daily
basis. Vine points
to the example of
Adam Mullinax,
a loan officer
at the Waverly
office who spent
the morning of
the flood using
his boat to
rescue people
up and down
the city's Main
Street. Since
then, Mullinax has spent countless
hours meeting with victims and
securing funds.
Building back stronger
The Apex Bank team realized that
there was even more they could do.
" A couple of days after the flood,
as it became apparent that the loss
of life would likely be great, and
that many people were still on the
missing persons list, we knew that
our community would be preparing
for multiple funeral services, " Vine
says. In response, Matt Daniels, Apex
Bank president and CEO, reached out
to Vine and asked him to help with
every funeral expense in Waverly.
The community bank made the
decision to donate $2,500 to help
defray funeral expenses to each
family that lost a family member. " We
were able to serve 18 families across
the community and pay over $47,000
toward the funeral expenses of their
loved ones, " Vine says.
Vine simply sees Apex Bank's
efforts as part of being a good
neighbor. Still, the Waverly
community has been appreciative
of the bank and its staff. " Together,
over time, " he says, " we will build
this community back stronger
than before. " 
William Atkinson is a writer in Illinois.
independentbanker.org Q 65
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Independent Banker - January 2022

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