Strong Banks. Stronger Communities.

Texas Bankers Foundation honors 16 banks with Cornerstone and LiFE Awards

In May, the Texas Bankers Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Texas Bankers Association, presented the annual Cornerstone and Leaders in Financial Education (LiFE) Awards at a luncheon during the Texas Bankers Association’s 137th Annual Convention.

For the past 20 years, the Texas Bankers Foundation has recognized excellence in community engagement with the Cornerstone Awards. Over the years, award winners have been recognized for helping low- to moderate-income families, deserving students with financial difficulties, economic development initiatives, community celebrations and more.

Also, because providing financial capability is such an important part of the industry’s community involvement, the Foundation recognizes these efforts through the Leaders in Financial Education Awards.

Cornerstone Winners

FirstCapital Bank of Texas, N.A., Midland

FirstCapital Bank of Texas was honored for its Banksgiving Project. The annual project began in 2012 as an effort to give back and serve those who serve the community. FirstCapital’s six market presidents and 17 branch managers select those in their area to honor. Recipients have included firefighters and police, staff members of non-profit organizations, healthcare workers and a water maintenance team in the Hill Country. The goal of Banksgiving is simply to give back and thank local heroes and public servants for all they do to protect and serve the community. Since the program’s inception, the bank has delivered meals to more than 50 organizations.

North Dallas Bank & Trust Co., Dallas

North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. was recognized for its NDBT Cares, an employee-led initiative of the bank’s community service efforts. NDBT Cares programs have included investing in virtual financial literacy workshops, hosting in-house canned food and school supply drives. Bankers participating in NDBT Cares contributed more than 130 service hours and $487,000 in pledged donations benefiting more than 80 organizations. Responding to the specific needs of their community, bankers donated 3,000 lbs. of canned goods for Irving residents and 300 backpacks filled with school supplies for underserved children in the DFW area. The NDBT Cares program is designed to embody the banks mission to elevate their community. 

TBK Bank, SSB, Dallas

TBK Bank is recognized for the creation of The Workshop that serves as a place where community members can learn about, be trained on, and operate tools for woodworking, welding, machining, 3D printing and other trades. One of the goals of the program is workforce development. TBK Bank chose to locate The Workshop in a moderate-income area of Dallas, where lives can be impacted and changed through the training, education and the encouragement offered. To date, TBK Bank has invested more than $3 million into the state-of-the-art facility. The Workshop provides workforce training for adults and introducing young people to trade skills that could lead to future career choices. 

TFNB Your Bank for Life, McGregor

TFNB Your Bank for Life was honored for its Charity Champions initiative. Dating back to 2014, the bank wanted to increase the visibility of the work outstanding non-profits were doing in the community, so they created the Charity Champion program. Each year six non-profits are recognized as Charity Champions. Once awarded, the selected non-profits receive an awareness marketing campaign, TFNB produced videos, leadership training, and a team of interns to assist with marketing and fundraising efforts. The campaign begins with on-field recognition at McLane Stadium during a Baylor football game and interviews on the local news. TFNB estimates that each champion has visibility of over 500,000 individuals each year.

Woodforest National Bank, The Woodlands

Woodforest National Bank was recognized for the Woodforest and FHLB Dallas Community Investment Program Grant Support. These grants provide financial support for the repair and rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing of low- and moderate-income residents affected by disabilities and natural disasters. Recognizing that much needed home repair can be the difference between a Texas family keeping or losing their home, Woodforest National Bank got behind this effort to support families, which in turn strengthened the communities and supported the local economy. Woodforest assisted in providing 40 grants in four Texas cities. These rehabs included the hiring of 12 minority-owned small businesses that provided services to complete the projects. 

Legend Bank, N.A., Bowie

Legend Bank was recognized for its Snack Bar of Support initiative which donates snacks and drinks to local hospitals and urgent care centers in their community to help recharge healthcare workers. Born from the realities of the pandemic, Legend bankers wanted to tangibly share their appreciation to the healthcare workers who sacrificed so much for the well-being of their patients and communities. Knowing that each wave of the pandemic caused extreme stress to these workers, Legend Bank has continued to restock the break rooms to keep these front-line workers recharged. Currently they are keeping 13 hospital and urgent care break rooms stocked.

PointBank, Pilot Point

PointBank was honored for its Community Business Breakfast, designed to cultivate fellowship with local small business owners and give them an opportunity to strengthen their professional network and growth opportunities. The events featured speakers including local elected leaders, industry regulators, community service leaders and cybersecurity experts to inform and inspire proprietors to achieve their full business potential. The free monthly breakfasts span across PointBank’s nine branches, with some breakfasts attended by more than 70 community members. Business owners recognized the Community Business Breakfast as regular opportunities to share their voice and visibility to maximize their influence within their neighborhoods.

Texas Security Bank, Dallas

Texas Security Bank was recognized for its Business Education Programs, which serve as an educational coaching program to foster the growth of owner-managed companies. In 2009, the bank launched the TSB Business Speaker Series as a monthly executive education series to highlight inspiring presentations, thought provoking business topics and actionable take aways that assist business owners. The bank also offers the TSB Academy to give owners the depth of knowledge needed to run thriving businesses. Over the course of one year, participants immerse themselves in foundational, strategic and functional principles from industry experts in a series of curated classes that provide the participants with the tools they can use to positively impact their business. 

Veritex Community Bank, Houston

Veritex Community Bank was honored for its Great Deeds project. Great Deeds focused on raising awareness for community partners whose efforts and fundraising were constrained due to the pandemic. The bank’s community development and marketing team helped by creating an advertising campaign to generate support for these community partners and profile of the groups’ efforts. Vignettes were created for each partner and the segments aired on Houston and Dallas mid-morning shows highlighting each organization’s mission to viewers. By donating Veritex’s advertising time, the Great Deeds project has helped more than 120 partners receive free advertising and generated support for the organizations’ immediate needs and support.

LiFE Winners

Citizens State Bank, Woodville

Woodville-based Citizens State Bank was recognized for its Financial Success project. This interactive program is designed to educate high school juniors and seniors on various aspects of credit. Students were given real-life scenarios that focused on how credit scores can affect their financial well-being. The lesson included understanding a credit report, how credit worthiness can determine the overall cost of loans and services and information on identity theft. This successful program has been held at four local high schools and continues to receive glowing reviews from both students and administrators.

Mineola Community Bank

Mineola Community Bank was recognized for its Financial Literacy Program which began at Mineola High School to share financial knowledge with the local youth. Statistics prove that poor financial decisions typically begin with teens and early adults. This program’s mission is to lay a strong financial foundation for youth in their community so they can lead fiscally responsible lives. Topics include checking account basics, how to apply for a loan, maintaining good credit and the importance of saving and investing for retirement. The Financial Literacy program has expanded to five other school districts with a customize program to fit the needs of each school. 

Veritex Community Bank, Dallas

Dallas-based Veritex Community Bank was recognized for their Summer Sessions Program. The program was created as a way to pivot the bank’s usual in-person financial literacy efforts to the new virtual world during the pandemic. The goal was to share financial education sessions with the listeners of Radio One, the heritage R&B radio stations in Houston and Dallas. Valuable information on personal credit, women-owned business advice, SBA loans and information for first-time home buyers were shared in 30- to 45-minute broadcasts over four weeks. The topics addressed were meant to inspire the audience to rebuild personal goals or pursue their business aspirations.

Ralph Thompson — North Dallas Bank & Trust, Plano

Ralph Thompson, market president for North Dallas Bank & Trust in Plano, received a LiFE Individual Recognition Award for his efforts to enhance the financial literacy skills for community youth. Working with nonprofit organization Ethos Education, whose mission is to promote and deliver a character development, Thompson provides the students with financial literacy lessons implementing the Ever-Fi program. The program challenges the students with several scenarios, allowing them to make educated decisions to prepare them for future life challenges. Thompson also serves as a mentor for 12- and 13-year-old boys at Hunt Middle School. His efforts have helped foster positive change in the lives of these young men.

Comerica Bank, Dallas

Dallas-based Comerica Bank was honored for its Banks for Babies project. Research shows a direct correlation between young people who are introduced to basic financial principles and taught how to manage their money at an early age and their future success. Comerica partnered with the project Still I Rise to bring this program at Head Start of Greater Dallas in South Dallas. This program teaches preschoolers the fundamentals of saving and goal setting through an interactive coloring activity. Once completed, the children are given a piggy bank with a dollar coin to kick off their savings journey.

Texas Capital Bank, Dallas

Dallas-based Texas Capital Bank was honored for its Financial Resiliency Education Initiative. Recognizing the need for increased financial expertise and advice in the wake of the pandemic, the bank’s development team created a series of complimentary virtual financial education seminars. These were designed to provide helpful financial information to those who had either lost jobs or experienced a reduction in income during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics included reassessing budgets, tips on how to advocate for payment relief from existing creditors, information on how to apply for unemployment benefits and other relief resources. Texas Capital held 100 sessions, reaching more than 800 Texans.

Courtney Taylor — Veritex Community Bank, Dallas

Courtney Taylor, senior vice president, community development officer for Veritex Community Bank in Houston, was honored with a LiFE Individual Recognition Award for her financial literacy efforts. Taylor believes in the power of financial education and managing one’s finances are some of the most powerful tools someone could have. Early in the pandemic, she began developing partnerships with the area nonprofits and teaching virtual financial literacy classes. She has taught classes on budgeting, managing money, banking options and credit scores to various adult groups. She also works with youth groups, including Junior Achievement. Additionally, Taylor was named Volunteer of the Year by Volunteers of America.

Apply for 2023 awards

We know every Texas bank has community service projects and consumer education programs that are making a difference in their communities today. The Texas Bankers Foundation wants to honor the best of these with a Cornerstone or LiFE Award in 2023. Submission deadline is Feb. 28, 2023.

For more information, please contact Jocelyn Carby at [email protected] or 512-472-8388.