Essex Savings Bank Announces 2020 Community Investment Program and Annual Balloting Results
Essex Savings Bank is pleased to announce that, through its Community Investment Program (CIP), the bank will be giving out $369,267 to support local non-profits and civic groups in 2020. The added monies available were in direct response to the successes of 2019, the bank’s most profitable year on record.
Gregory R. Shook, President & CEO stated, “It gives me great pleasure in light of the pandemic we are all now facing, to be able to provide needed funding to support these vital organizations in our community.”
The bank’s CIP provides funding through numerous channels; customers allocate 30 percent of funds by voting for three of their favorite participating causes, charities, or organizations on an annual ballot. The remaining 70 percent of funding is distributed by the bank’s directors, senior officers, branch managers and the bank’s wholly owned subsidiary Essex Financial Services, Inc.
Through its CIP, the bank has donated nearly $5 million to more than 200 local nonprofit organizations. In addition to these donations, many of the bank’s employees offer their time and expertise to nonprofit organizations in both official board and volunteer capacities.
Essex Savings Bank is delighted to also share the results of its annual customer ballot initiative to which 72 organizations participated this past February. The Shoreline Soup Kitchen & Food Pantries, which has received the greatest number of votes every year in which it has participated, was again awarded the largest number of votes translating into the largest monetary award, nearly $10,000.
The remaining 71 organizations, whose missions range from servicing low-income individuals to youth and senior services and from emergency services to animal welfare and the arts received a combined total of $101,106.
Essex Savings Bank is a FDIC insured, state chartered, mutual savings bank established in 1851. The bank serves the Connecticut River Valley and shoreline with six offices in Essex, Chester, Madison, Old Lyme, and Old Saybrook providing a full complement of personal and business banking. Financial, estate, insurance and retirement planning are offered throughout the state by the bank’s Trust Department and wholly owned subsidiary Essex Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC.
Results of Essex Savings Bank Community Investment Program 2020 Customer Balloting
The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, Inc.: 589 votes, $9,678
Forgotten Felines, Inc.: 322 votes, $5,291
Valley Shore Animal Welfare League: 298 votes, $4,897
Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc.—Meals on Wheels: 242 votes, $3,976
High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc.: 221 votes, $3,631
Bikes for Kids, Inc.: 209 votes, $3,434
Pet Connections, Inc.: 181 votes, $2,974
Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM): 178 votes, $2,925
A Little Compassion Inc./The Nest Coffee House: 162 votes, $2,662
Camp Hazen YMCA: 162 votes, $2,662
Essex Fire Engine Company No. 1: 157 votes, $2,580
Lyme Ambulance Association, Inc.: 133 votes, $2,185
Deep River Fire Department, Inc.: 132 votes, $2,169
Valley Shore YMCA: 129 votes, $2,120
Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Inc. (VNLV): 129 votes, $2,120
The Chester Hose Company Incorporated: 127 votes, $2,087
Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Inc.: 117 votes, $1,922
The Essex Library Association, Inc.: 114 votes, $1,873
Old Lyme Fire Department, Inc.: 113 votes, $1,857
Essex Ambulance Association, Inc.: 112 votes, $1,840
Connecticut Cancer Foundation, Inc.: 109 votes, $1,791
Ivoryton Library Association: 104 votes, $1,709
Lyme Fire Company: 103 votes, $1,692
Chester Historical Society: 101 votes, $1,660
Madison Ambulance Association, Inc.: 99 votes, $1,627
The Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Inc.: 90 votes, $1,479
Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc.: 85 votes, $1,397
Old Saybrook Land Trust, Inc.: 84 votes, $1,380
Friends In Service Here (FISH): 81 votes, $1,331
Lyme Land Conservation Trust, Inc.: 80 votes, $1,315
Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore, CT, Inc.: 70 votes, $1,150
SARAH, Inc.: 70 votes, $1,150
Brian House of Chester: 68 votes, $1,117
Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library Association: 68 votes, $1,117
Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association, Inc.: 67 votes, $1,101
Friends of the Essex Library: 64 votes, $1,052
Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy, Inc.: 64 votes, $1,052
Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau: 63 votes, $1,035
Vista Life Innovations, Inc.: 62 votes, $1,019
Old Lyme Land Trust, Inc.: 59 votes, $969
Old Saybrook Historical Society: 59 votes, $969
Westbrook Project Graduation, Inc.: 57 votes, $937
Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau, Inc.: 56 votes, $920
Common Good Gardens, Inc.: 55 votes, $904
Lyme Public Hall & Local History Archives, Inc.: 55 votes, $904
Region 4 Education Foundation: 55 votes, $904
Chester Land Trust: 53 votes, $871
Deep River Historical Society, Inc.: 53 votes, $871
Westbrook Youth and Family Services, Inc.: 53 votes, $871
Essex Historical Society, Inc.: 51 votes, $838
Friends of the Chester Public Library, Inc.: 51 votes, $838
Friends of the Deep River Public Library, Inc.: 51 votes, $838
Community Music School: 50 votes, $822
Lyme Art Association, Inc.: 46 votes, $756
Deep River Elementary School PTO, Inc.: 43 votes, $707
Deep River Land Trust, Inc.: 42 votes, $690
Essex Elementary School Foundation, Inc.: 41 votes, $674
Cappella Cantorum, Inc.: 39 votes, $641
Con Brio Choral Society, Inc.: 37 votes, $608
Hope Partnership, Inc.: 37 votes, $608
Sister Cities Essex Haiti, Inc. 37 votes, $608
Angel Charities, Inc.: 34 votes, $559
Essex Community Fund, Inc.: 34 votes, $559
The Woman’s Exchange of Old Lyme, Inc.: 34 votes, $559
Act II Thrift Shop, Inc.: 33 votes, $542
Essex Winter Series: 32 votes, $526
Ivoryton Village Alliance: 31 votes, $509
Lymes’ Elderly Housing, Inc. (Lymewood): 27 votes, $444
Ruth Ann Heller Music Foundation, Inc.: 24 votes, $394
Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange (BRAYCE): 23 votes, $378
MusicNow Foundation, Inc.: 17 votes, $279
Musical Masterworks, Inc.: 14 votes, $230