First Bank of Highland Park and College Bound Opportunities Support Bernie's Book Bank in Lake Forest
More than 13 employees from First Bank of Highland Park enjoyed an afternoon of volunteering at Bernie's Book Bank in Lake Forest, Illinois on July 9, 2014. The employees were joined by 15 participants of College Bound Opportunities (CBO), a non-profit organization committed to assisting high-achieving but underserved youths in their pursuit of higher education. The day served as an opportunity for the employees of First Bank of Highland Park and CBO participants to get to know one another and work together to give back to the community while competing in the Chicago Charity Challenge, an employee-powered charity competition amongst local businesses, affectionately termed the Chicago Cha Cha.
Each of the 20 teams in the Chicago Cha Cha, including First Bank of Highland Park and CBO, are competing against each other to raise the most money and give the greatest number of hours volunteering to support their selected charity. The employees of First Bank of Highland Park and participants from CBO logged more than 56 hours for their team at Bernie's Book Bank where they helped the organization process gently used children's books for at-risk infants, toddlers, and school-age children throughout Chicago. At the end of the day, First Bank of Highland Park presented Bernie's Book Bank with a check for $10,000 to help further the organization's mission.
"It is our mission as a responsible corporate citizen to support organizations within our community. We joined the Chicago Charity Challenge to support CBO, give back to the community and ensure our employees have access to meaningful volunteer opportunities," says Denise Bryant, Director of Marketing at First Bank of Highland Park. "There is incredible synergy between the mission of CBO and Bernie's Book Bank. We wanted to bring these two organizations together and maximize our impact. The result was an inspiring and rewarding day for all involved!"
Since the Chicago Cha Cha commenced, team First Bank of Highland Park and CBO has raised more than $97,000 and has logged more than 150 hours for local charities. To learn more, please visit chicagochacha.org.
About the Challengers
College Bound Opportunities (CBO) identifies high-achieving, but under resourced young people in suburban School Districts 113 and 115 who, without support, would likely forgo post-secondary education and assists them in applying to and completing college. CBO goals are achieved through a program of one-to-one mentoring between volunteers and scholars. Additional aid provided by CBO includes tutoring, training services, laptop computers, career workshops, and financial support. For more information about CBO, please visit cbo4success.org
As a privately owned bank, First Bank of Highland Park focuses on building long-term relationships with clients who are making financial decisions that work for the present and future. By combining practicality with flexibility, First Bank of Highland Park has remained a consistent and steady financial partner in good and bad economic times. With our full suite of products and services we are able to meet the personal and business banking needs of our Clients. For more information about First Bank of Highland Park, please visit www.firstbankhp.com or contact one of our experienced Personal Bankers at 847-432-7800.