SUN WEST BANK

Daily Point of Light # 2901 Mar 18, 2005

Sun West Bank was founded in 1998 with a true commitment to the community. Over the years this commitment has grown in size and stature. The bank institutes a variety of giving programs for its employees and plays an important role within the community through support of a wide range of community organizations.

Sun West Bank has been nationally recognized for its dedication to America’s Promise, the charitable initiatives centered on the “five promises” of former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s America’s Promise Initiative. It has also been honored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada for its continued support of their mentoring program. The bank raises donations and funds for organizations and programs such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Classroom on wheels, The Shade Tree Shelter for Women & Children, YMCA youth programs, Project Literacy and Teach Children to Save.

Each winter Sun West Bank assists with the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, and every Christmas participates in the Adopt-A-Family program of HELP of Southern Nevada. The bank’s involvement in the program allows them to “adopt” nine children for the holidays, providing them with gifts and other elements of a happy holiday that they would otherwise have to go without.

Going beyond holiday gifts and food, Sun West Bank’s charity programs also take into account the educational needs of at-risk children. The Bank Day Program, an expansion of the annual Teach Children to Save Day, allows Sun West employees to mentor local elementary school students and endeavors to teach kids basic Bank Skills.

Each Halloween Sun West Bank gets involved with Classrooms on Wheels, a program through the Clark County Schools which sends special school buses, painted like cows and outfitted inside like a preschool classroom, to neighborhoods where children otherwise can’t access preschool services.

With more than 550 children enrolled throughout Las Vegas Sun West Bank has helped out the last five years by packaging Halloween bags with coloring books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toys, candy and bi-lingual reading materials for at-risk children who use Classroom on Wheels.

A long-standing program Sun West Bank developed for employees is Cool and Casual Days, which allows any employee the option to dress down for work as they wish, simply by making a small donation of a non-perishable household or food item which is then given to HELP of Southern Nevada or The Shade Tree Shelter as part of their “wish list” of supplies.

Another fundraiser at Sun West Bank is the semi-annual in-house silent auctions held during one week each spring and fall. Employee’s auction homemade dinners and other food items prepared by employees and on average, raised more than $450 for American’s Promise and other causes.


jaytennier