Community bank celebrates milestone

Community Bank Samford has reached an incredible million-dollar milestone for grant and sponsorship funding.

The milestone was met back in August, with the bank reaching over $1.2 million of reinvestments into local communities.

Senior Branch Manager Mandy Bell says the formal grants process commenced in 2012 and explains why hitting this milestone is so important.

“It demonstrates the ethos of the community bank model and is a testament to the team that we have great relationships with our customers. We continue to build those relationships, which enables us to give our profits back to our community – we are built by the community, for the community,” Mandy says.

The Samford branch has supported various communities, including funding areas such as sport and recreation, mental health, animal services and arts and culture.

“Our branch has supported Samford Stags and Rangers, which are both long-term projects and a greatly respected partnership – as we have granted them grandstands and scoreboards to improve their facilities,” Mandy says.

“Other sporting groups we have supported are Pine Rivers Cricket Club, Samford Equestrian and the Golden Valley Pony Club.

“Mental health has been a big focus for us in recent years and we have contributed funding towards several projects, including Happy Paws, Men’s Information and Support Association (MISA) and The Carers Foundation.

“We also support Riding for the Disabled, where we have funded the cost of taking care of a horse each year for the past six years, Guide Dogs, Life for Wildlife, Birds Injured, Rehabilitated and Orphaned (BIRO) and Northside Beekeepers Association.

“The branch also gifted the Samford community with its first public community mural, alongside other events that we support annually, such as Art with Altitude, Creative Art Trail and Samford Edible Garden Trail.”

Community Bank Samford has garnered a reputation as a prominent supporter for numerous local establishments – making it a priority to give back in as many ways as possible – and it doesn’t stop there.

“We are going to continue to roll out our biannual grants round that supports Pine Rivers, Samford Districts and Narangba, which is generally up to $10,000. Our current grant round is open until October 15,” Mandy explains.

“To celebrate this huge milestone, we are launching a very special grant round at the end of October, where we are looking for programs in Pine Rivers, Samford Districts and Narangba communities, ranging from $50,000 upwards.”