Independent Banker - March 2023 - 73

Next: Your advocacy tools for 2023 
she explains. Over the years, that
empowerment has taken the form of
grants, donations of equipment and
volunteer hours. In June 2022, for
example, the community bank's team
members took part in a beautification
day with shovels, rakes and " a lot
of sweat equity, " preparing for
the nonprofit's annual graduation
ceremony at its Oxford site. Valley
Bank also provided laptops and
printers for a new computer lab,
and its property management
group donated desks and cubicles
from branches and departments
that were being renovated to a new
learning center.
" Having a local impact is something
that's very important for us, "
Valley Bank's relationship
with Walter Hoving Home
began in 2018.
says Bernadette Mueller, Valley
Bank's EVP for corporate social
responsibility. " We want to be viewed
as partners in our local communities,
serving not only the people who live
there but the people who work there,
our whole constituency in that area,
whether that be community groups
or households. "
Creating a path forward
In addition to donations and
volunteer hours, Valley Bank
also provides financial literacy
education as part of Hoving Home's
Career Readiness Program. Using
a Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau curriculum called " Your
Money, Your Goals, " Austin teaches
nine one-hour sessions to the women,
covering saving, spending, budgeting,
credit, debt management, managing
financial setbacks and more. She also
makes a point of keeping her students
informed about current events that
illustrate why financial literacy is
so important.
These days, she is reaching more
women than ever. " I used to do the
sessions in person in Oxford, N.J., "
she recalls, " so I would drive on a
weekly basis from an office in the
Wayne area, an hour and a half up
to Oxford, and then back another
hour and a half home to my house.
When COVID hit, that changed
everything. And I became a little bit
more effective at using Zoom. So,
I conducted Zoom classes for the
individuals in Oxford. "
At the beginning of 2022, the
director of Hoving Home asked her if
she could conduct classes for its other
facilities as well: two in Garrison,
N.Y., one in Pasadena, Calif., and
another in Las Vegas. By teaching
virtually, Austin has expanded Valley
Bank's reach nationwide.
" I feel that we as Valley have
to support our local community,
" Our opportunity is
to reach those who
need it the most and
provide a service so
that, when they are
able to regain their
lives, they're going
to be able to make
informed decisions and
know there's advocacy
available to them. "
-KAREN AUSTIN, VALLEY BANK
wherever and whoever that might be, "
says Austin. " And our opportunity is
to reach those who need it the most
and provide a service so that, when
they are able to regain their lives,
they're going to be able to make
informed decisions and know there's
advocacy available to them. I feel
Valley has played an extraordinary
part in that, and I'm grateful to be
part of that work. "
That gratitude runs deep, says
Mueller. " Our people, across the
board-from the facilities and
the property management people
loading desks, to the tech people
setting up laptops-have been feeling
the same way, just feeling so good
about what they're doing, " she says.
" We're getting much more than
we're giving. " 
Roshan McArthur is a writer
in California.
Independent Banker - March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - March 2023
