At Bloomsdale Bank we have a strong commitment to the communities we serve.
A couple of months ago we decided to take that commitment to a new level by spearheading a fundraiser for the oncology departments of two area hospitals, Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital.
Bloomsdale Bank organized the fundraiser from the ground up, asking employees and customers to participate. Every person that made a $5 donation received a bracelet that stated “Join the Fight,” and all proceeds were donated to our local hospitals for cancer research.
“We wanted to do something for the community, and wanted to raise money for a good cause. We wanted to contribute to a local cause which is how we decided on Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital,” says Heather Jokerst, Marketing Manager of Bloomsdale Bank and lead organizer of the fundraiser.
To get the momentum and excitement going, Heather coordinated a competition between the two counties where the bank’s branches reside (Ste. Genevieve County and Jefferson County). The goal? Raise the most money! The individual employee who raised the most money would get an extra half day of paid vacation, and the county that raised the most would get Dairy Queen ice cream for all employees and a “jeans” day at the branch to celebrate. Of course the most important prize was braggin’ rights.
The fundraiser ran from May 11th to June 15th. Heather said it was fun to see employees’ competitive sides come out as they competed against each other, and it was a huge morale booster to be raising money for such a good, local cause together.
In the end we raised over $3,000 for our local oncology departments. We donated $1,610 to Mercy Hospital and $1,750 to Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital. Bank teller Sherri Lancaster of our Bloomsdale branch raised over $1,000, the most money out of all of our employees and enjoyed a well earned half day off. The county competition was incredibly close as you can see by the former numbers, so we decided to throw an ice cream party for both counties. Initially Ste. Genevieve County edged out Jefferson County by $20, and then an additional $120 rolled in before the $1,750 donation was made to Memorial Hospital. So when it comes to braggin’ rights, Ste. Genevieve County won by the skin of their teeth. Until next time they hold the title, but we have no doubt Jefferson County will come back with full gusto on our next round to try to clench those braggin’ rights.
Competitions and silliness aside, we are most proud of our employees and customers who came together to make a difference in our community and raise money for such an important cause. Heather added, “I was nervous starting off wondering, ‘is this going to go well and are we going to be able to raise money?’ I was proud to see our employees raise money for the hospitals and see what we did together. It feels good to give back and give to another local group. The feedback from the hospitals has been amazing, too.” Now that we know the potential, we plan to do more community fundraisers and events in the future, so stay tuned for the next one!