In 2020, the leadership of $2 billion-asset Heartland Bank put a name to their desire to create meaningful change beyond traditional banking services: the Heartland Bank Community Foundation (HBCF). Since its founding, HBCF has donated more than $350,000 to programs designed to help the most vulnerable members of the community.
Now a division of $8.3 billion-asset German American Bank, Heartland Bank has long been known for its commitment to its neighbors both in its hometown of Whitehall, Ohio, and in its 19 other locations across Ohio and northern Kentucky.
“The bank’s leadership team recognized it could take the next step toward making an impact locally by forming a charitable foundation to support nonprofit organizations in the communities where it operates,” says Hinda Mitchell, president of the HBCF.
Strategic focus areas for local progress
For the past five years, the foundation’s giving strategy has been centered on two key areas: early childhood and adolescent development, and family strengthening and enrichment. By clearly defining its focus, the HBCF ensures its efforts are both deeply effective and closely aligned with community needs.
“We are making a difference by directing critical funds where they are most needed,” says Mitchell.
“Most of the organizations we support are doing direct service work in our community—and often with limited funds,” she adds. This tight focus on high-impact, grassroots organizations within the HBCF’s interest areas ensures its contributions are used effectively.
Take, for instance, the foundation’s involvement in the 2023 renovation of St. Vincent Prep Academy, an institution for children between first and sixth grades who have behavioral or emotional disabilities. The school fosters an environment conducive to learning by maintaining small class sizes and offering integrated mental health support.
“We also supported an organization called Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds and provides beds to children and families who may not have them,” says Mitchell, highlighting another example of how HBCF steps in to address specific, tangible needs.
Additionally, the foundation has supported hunger-relief programs in food pantries and after-school programs for Boys and Girls Clubs, providing vital resources to the community’s most vulnerable populations. “There are countless examples like that one,” says Mitchell. “We are making a difference by directing critical funds where they are most needed.
“Our funds have encouraged teens through after-school programming, fed those who are food-insecure, provided safe places for unhoused families, protected those experiencing domestic violence, supported disaster relief, exposed children to music and the arts, promoted positive learning environments and so much more,” she adds.
A broad base of funding
Funding for the HBCF comes from many different sources, including direct contributions by Heartland Bank’s associates, leadership and board members. Other donations come from the community bank’s customers and through corporate partnerships.
The foundation also hosts several fundraising events each year, such as the Heartland Bank Community Foundation Annual Charity Golf Outing. Proceeds from these efforts are funneled directly into critical programs, service projects and nonprofit organizations within the community bank’s footprint.
“Our foundation can move nimbly, and we fund programs once each quarter, so we can deploy contributions where [they are] needed most,” Mitchell says. “We hear frequently from those we support about how much the bank’s support means.”
Meaningful leadership
HBCF enjoys wholehearted backing from Heartland Bank’s parent company, German American Bank.
“At German American Bank, we believe in supporting the communities we serve so its people prosper,” says Neil Dauby, chairman and CEO of German American Bank. “The good works of the Heartland Bank Community Foundation is a natural extension of German American Bank’s mindful commitment to community support.”
Mitchell’s relationship with both Heartland Bank and the HBCF is as personal as it is professional. “I was a client of the bank for our family, and the bank helped me when I started my own business in 2014,” she says. “The bank still is our trusted business partner.”
Elected president of the HBCF board in July 2024, Mitchell is a natural fit. Her perspective as both a client and a passionate advocate for community support has equipped her to lead the foundation successfully.
She looks forward to working to ensure the foundation’s continued evolution and effectiveness.
“Our commitment to ‘banking feels good’ takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to the impact of the Heartland Bank Community Foundation,” she says. “It positions the bank to live its values each day through the foundation’s work and to do the right thing in communities that have given so much to our bank.”
