A partnership over 20 years old continues strong today.
The Salvation Army of Johnson City visited the Citizens Bank office, on Broad Street in Elizabethton, to provide an “Above & Beyond” plaque as a token of gratitude for their work with the organization.
“We appreciate Citizens Bank for all their continued support throughout the years,” Capt. Laura Cox with the Salvation Army said Wednesday. “They’ve been doing this for 28 years. We love the relationship we have with them and hope it continues.”
Citizens Bank is a locally owned community bank located within the city that was founded in 1394.
Cox went on to credit the effort of the bank’s staff and Joe LaPorte, Chairman and CEO of Citizens Bank, for being an active supporter of the group.
“Each year, Mr. LaPorte gives money for each employee in Elizabethton to adopt an angel from Carter County,” Cox said. “The bank additionally provides a tree to put the angels on.”
The Salvation Army is coming off their fourth annual Festival of Tables event that was held at the Johnson City Country Club over the weekend. While numbers for this year have not been made official, the group last year raised over $15,000 to help 2,769 children in Carter, Unicoi and Washington counties. Over 800 children came from Carter County.
Marked as the primary fundraiser for the group, Women’s Auxiliary president Gail Adkins recently told the Elizabethton Star that all the funds from the event go directly towards the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
“Whether the angel is taken from the tree, or not, they receive a gift,” Adkins said. “That’s where our money goes. Every bit of funding goes back into the program.”
Angel Tree signups for Carter County are currently pegged for Tuesday, Oct. 11, and Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in the Stoney Creek community.
With a busy schedule on the horizon, Citizens Bank always enjoys their work with the Angel Tree, according to Bernice McAninch, who helps manage the partnership between Citizens Bank and the Salvation Army.
“We get around 40 names,” she said about the work with the Angel Tree at Citizens Bank. “Our people go out and shop for the kids and the bank will reimburse so much of that.”
As far as partnerships go, don’t look for this one to go away anytime soon, McAninch said.
“I just think it is an awesome group to work with,” she said. “What they do for the children is really what is important. Our bank is so willing to help and our people are willing to do their part, too, and they enjoy it.”