First Financial Bank and its associates gave more than $2.6 million and volunteered nearly 6,000 hours last year in Cincinnati as part of the institution’s new emphasis on giving back to the communities it serves.
Over the course of 2023, the Queen City-based bank hosted several drives to address community needs ranging from food to cleaning supplies. At the start of the school year, First Financial staff took time to stuff backpacks with school supplies for local students through the United Way.
Through its foundation, First Financial awards funding to a wide variety of nonprofits and community groups through its annual grant campaign. In 2023, the bank provided $510,000 to 66 organizations serving residents spread across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Across its four-state footprint, First Financial gave $4.4 million and offered 14,829 volunteer hours last year. That was a 17% increase over 2022, said Roddell McCullough, the bank’s chief corporate responsibility officer. He believes the jump was due in part to his company’s decision to let full-time associates receive pay for up to eight hours of community service every year.
“We are neighbors to our clients,” McCullough added. “We volunteer alongside them and share our resources with the organizations that will help our communities succeed.”
First Financial’s Community Benefits Agreement for 2024-2028 includes a goal of $18 million in philanthropy, with a particular emphasis on supporting organizations that create and preserve affordable housing and workforce development, plus those that provide housing counseling and promote financial and economic inclusion. The bank also committed to $2.4 billion in lending and investments to low- and moderate-income clients and census tracts.
“We are proud to reflect on the positive impact we’re making, even as we look ahead toward fostering more growth in 2024,” McCullough said.
Discover more from Movers & Makers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.