Bank of the Sierra Awards $34K in Grants to Central Valley Non-Profits During Fourth Quarter
February 25, 2019
Porterville, CA – Bank of the Sierra announced today that $34,000 was given to nine non-profits in the Central Valley during the fourth quarter. The bank awards $1,000-$5,000 grants to 15-20 non-profit organizations each quarter as part of its Sierra Grant program. Overall in the fourth quarter, Bank of the Sierra awarded $59,000 to non-profits in eight counties it serves.
The Friends of Mercy Foundation in Kern County will support its College Dream Program with a Sierra Grant. The program provides educational and social support to college-bound junior high and high school students from low-income households. The grant will help pay tutoring costs for the students.
The Assistance League of Visalia’s Rainbow Reading program gives books to students at several Tulare County schools. The program’s goal is to encourage literacy by helping students start a home library. Sierra Grant funds will be used to help pay for more books. The organization is working towards supplying books to all students in eight county schools.
A Sierra Grant will help support the Summer Reading Program from the Friends of the Kings County Library. The program will attract families with children to libraries in Kings County by offering events that include storytelling, jugglers, musicians, puppeteers, and more. Each performer will emphasize why books and libraries are important, and children will be encouraged to read during their summer break from school.
“We’re so glad we can support these wonderful non-profits that do so much for our communities,” said Kevin McPhaill, Bank of the Sierra President and Chief Executive Officer. “The Sierra Grant program is just one of many ways Bank of the Sierra works to make every community we’re part of better.”
About the Sierra Grant Program
Since its inception in 2004 the Sierra Grant Program has been responsible for donating over two million dollars to organizations that improve local communities. Non-profits who wish to apply for a Sierra Grant can pick up an instructional brochure at any Bank of the Sierra branch, or visit the bank’s web site at www.bankofthesierra.com/resources/sierra-grant-program.
About Bank of the Sierra
Bank of the Sierra is in its 42nd year of operations and is the largest independent bank
headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. Bank of the Sierra is a community-centric regional bank, which offers a full range of retail and commercial banking services with full-service branches located within the counties of Tulare, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. The bank also maintains an online branch, and provides specialized lending services through an agricultural credit center and an SBA center. In 2018, Bank of the Sierra was recognized as one of the strongest and top-performing community banks in the country, with a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial and a Sm-All Star award from Sandler O’Neill.
