Culture

In June 2023, BayCoast Bank in Swansea, Massachusetts, joined forces with a network of community partners to create a playhouse for a young girl with life-limiting medical challenges.

Community State Bank and Shepherds College united to create Shepherds Community Café, a donation-based coffee shop that fosters occupational experience for students with different needs.

John Buhrmaster, chief executive officer at $700 million-asset 1st National Bank of Scotia in Scotia, New York, shares how he and his father, chairman Lou Buhrmaster, have a unique connection to vintage taxi cabs—one that once saved their bank.

In March, Bank of the Pacific in Aberdeen, Washington, sponsored the Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser for Friends of the Children Portland.

Through its Making Change program, MainStreet Bank implores its employees to engage in and contribute to community work.

The executive vice president and chief lending officer at $4.4 billion-asset ChoiceOne Bank in Sparta, Michigan, has trained hunting dogs for decades.

Patriots Bank launched a special debit card to generate emotional and financial support for breast cancer patients, and it has generated over $20,000 so far.

Gulf Coast Bank in Abbeville, Louisiana, and Legends Bank in Clarksville, Tennessee, run thoughtful and strategic programs that support their neighbors. That’s why they’ve been named the winners of the 2025 National Community Bank Service Awards. We talk to them and the runners-up about why and how they do the good work they do.

High school financial literacy courses are an opportunity for community banks to set local youth up for success. See how some community banks are making a difference in financial education today.