Bank employees give new life to Salina home

6-27-2019

SALINA—Dozens of employees from Zions Bank’s in Ephraim, Manti, Richfield, Salina and Fillmore rolled up their sleeves and put a fresh coat of paint on a Salina house, as part of the bank’s 29th annual Paint-a-Thon service project.

The bank’s employees, along with their family members, all pitched into transform the Salina home by painting and sprucing up the yard.

Along with beautifying neighborhoods, the Painta-Thon project aims to help elderly, disabled and veteran home owners take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. Throughout the week, more than 3,000 Zions Bank employees and their families volunteered to clean, scrape and paint 40 homes in Utah and Idaho.

In addition to painting, Zions employees provide yard clean-up, pruning, mowing, planting and minor repairs as needed by homeowners. The cost for all paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank.

“As a community bank, the Paint-a-Thon service project embodies our dedication to the communities we serve,” said Paint-a-Thon team captain Ryan Roper. “We look forward to this service project every year and find enormous satisfaction in transforming the homes and yards of our neighbors in need.”

Zions Bank is committed to helping senior citizens remain in their homes as long as possible, maintaining their independence, dignity and health. More than 90 percent of people over age 65 prefer to stay in their homes as they get older, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. And while “aging in place” has become increasingly possible thanks to health and technology advances, home maintenance and repairs remain challenges for seniors seeking to live independently, according to the AARP.

The average age of this year’s homeowner is 72, with an average yearly income of $21,800.  Projects completed during the annual week-long event were selected with the assistance of nominations from the public, state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches.

Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the past 29 years, Zions Bank employees have set aside their time to paint 1,181 homes throughout Idaho and Utah. Not counting the dollar value of volunteer hours through the years, the bank has donated more than $1.3 million toward beautifying homes in the two states.

Zions Bank is Utah’s oldest financial institution and is the only local bank with a statewide distribution of branches operating 99 full-service branches. Zions Bank also operates 24 branches in Idaho and Wyoming. In addition to offering a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions Bank is also a leader in small business lending and has ranked as the No. 1 lender of U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loans in Utah for the past 25 consecutive years. Founded in 1873, Zions Bank has been serving the communities of Utah for more than 145 years.