Local bank celebrates Day of Caring
Mountain West Bank employees Tanya Picker and Jeremy Bullen take a second from their busy day painting to pose for a picture during their Day of Caring service adventure at the Silver Valley Meals on Wheels office in Osburn.
Photo by JOSH McDONALD
WALLACE — Acts of service is one of the five love languages, and Mountain West Bank recently took an opportunity to show its new home some love as part of its annual Day of Caring.
Mountain West Bank (MWB) General Manager Gina Doerschel explained Day of Caring as a bank-wide event where each branch in the MWB footprint takes a half day to volunteer in their community where needed.
“We ask around the community to find out what needs they have, and how we can assist,” Doerschel said. “As part of the Community Reinvestment Act, Meals on Wheels had already been on our radar so we reached out to Darrell Lemieux (Silver Valley Meals on Wheels director) to see if there was something we could do for them.”
Lemieux told Doerschel that their Osburn office facility could use a little TLC.
“I think he was pleasantly surprised and said that they had been trying to get their office space painted and would love some help in getting it finished,” Doerschel told the News-Press. “Two of our employees, as a part of their job, showed up for work at the Senior Center-Meals on Wheels location, grabbed a paintbrush, and got to work.”
The Meals on Wheels program was on the verge of financial ruin just a few years ago, as every available penny was going to making sure meals could be cooked and that vehicles were running in order to deliver them — so the helpful hand of a few volunteer painters was appreciated.
“They had a great time and Darrell even made sure they were fed while there,” Doerschel said. “We are excited to be a part of the communities in the Silver Valley and are continually looking for projects or event opportunities where we can lend a hand.”
This isn’t the only thing MWB has been working on lately either, it recently was instrumental in the installation of a sensory room at Silver Hills Elementary School.
A sensory room is a special room designed to develop a person's sense, usually through special lighting, music and objects. It can be used as a therapy for children with limited communication skills.
The News-Press will have an in-depth feature on the sensory room in the coming weeks.
Mountain West Bank was founded in Coeur d'Alene, in 1993, but it opened its Silver Valley branch in Wallace earlier this year.
The bank offers a complete array of personal and commercial financial services. In addition to its Coeur d'Alene headquarters, Mountain West Bank operates 22 branches, financial service centers, and lending centers throughout Idaho and Eastern Washington. It is a division of Montana-based Glacier Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Glacier Bancorp Inc.