FirstBank also established an employee relief fund, additional paid days off for volunteer fire relief efforts and customer care packages
FirstBank, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks with a focus on “banking for good,” announced a $250,000 contribution to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund, which supplies financial assistance to those most severely impacted by the Marshall fire.
“Unfortunately, in the Roaring Fork Valley we aren’t strangers to the destruction that wildfires can bring to a community,” said Dave Portman, FirstBank Roaring Fork Valley Market President. “Seeing the swift damage caused by the Marshall and Middle Fork fires was a tough pill to swallow on so many levels, especially since the wounds created by the Lake Christine and Grizzly Creek fires are still fresh. We’re grateful to be a part of an organization that invests so heavily in the health and safety of the communities we serve.”
The donation represents just one of several FirstBank initiatives to help communities, customers, and employees affected by the fires. The company has also enacted the following programs:
- Increased Volunteer Time Off: The bank is supplying additional paid, volunteer time off (VTO) to all employees in an effort to help with fire relief efforts.
- Care Packages for Impacted Customers: FirstBank is currently deploying care packages containing vouchers for food, clothing and other essentials to dozens of customers who’ve been displaced. As it stands now, over 60 care packages have been distributed.
- Employee Relief Fund: The company also established a relief fund, where FirstBank and its employees could contribute to help colleagues affected by the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires. Nearly $65,000 was raised and distributed evenly among evacuated team members.
“Boulder County has been home to FirstBank for years. It’s where our employees and customers live, work and raise their families,” said Jim Reuter, CEO of FirstBank. “To say this fire devastated many of us would be an understatement. But it’s also been a stark reminder of the good in humanity as many organizations and individuals have stepped up to help those in need. The Boulder County Wildfire Fund is a prime example of that. We’re happy to be a part of their efforts, and are deeply committed to helping this community heal.”
Locally, FirstBank made a $50,000 donation in order to help recovery and mitigation efforts after the Lake Christine Fire. The money was used to provide property-owners financial and technical assistance to safeguard their homes and create fire adapted communities. The effort was in a partnership with Eagle County, Roaring Fork Fire & Rescue, and the town of Basalt.
To learn more or to make a donation to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund, visit www.commfound.org/wildfirefund. For more information about FirstBank, visit www.efirstbank.com.
About FirstBank
FirstBank began providing banking services in 1963. Today, it’s known as an industry leader in digital banking and has grown to be one of the largest privately held banks in the United States, maintaining more than $25 billion in assets and 110 branch locations across Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank offers a variety of consumer deposit accounts, home equity loans, mortgages, rental property loans and a full range of commercial banking services, including business financing, commercial real estate loans, treasury management and more. Since 2000, FirstBank has been recognized as a top corporate philanthropist, contributing nearly $75 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. The company is also unique in that a large portion of its stock is owned by management and employees, giving employees a financial stake in the bank’s success through its Employee Stock Ownership Program. MEMBER FDIC
