Independent Banker - September 2024 - 39

increases the awareness, " he says.
For the July event, Phelps County
Bank gathers organizations, individuals,
families and children to host lemonade
stands within the county towns. In June
and July, people can start signing up
to run a lemonade stand and buy the
official event T-shirts. On average, the
event places about 50 lemonade stands
across Phelps County, but this year,
PCB had a record-breaking 73 stands.
Most of these lemonade stands are
located in Rolla and Saint James, two
of the county's larger towns, but even
out-of-towners will occasionally step up
to support the cause. For many families,
it has become a tradition; children
who participated during the event's
inception are now parents themselves.
Employee-driven action
Much of the community's awareness
and involvement can be attributed to
the work of PCB's staff. Goff says that
PCB, being 100% employee-owned,
has built a culture where employees
have agency, investment and pride in
the bank's community involvement,
including through Take-a-Stand
Against Child Abuse. The community
bank's employee-owners work to
ensure everything runs smoothly.
" It's a huge investment, but because
we are employee-owned, that makes us
more generous, " says Goff. " Everyone
who works here feels that ownership
and wants to give back to the
community, and it's sort of the engine
that powers Take-a-Stand. "
PCB's employee-owners start
conversations about the event, whether
that's when selling T-shirts, wearing
the T-shirt to work or the store,
posting on social media or asking local
organizations if they'd like to sponsor
the event (among other efforts).
They're also the ones who assist during
the event, refilling supplies, collecting
funds and depositing those funds at
the bank to keep track of the running
total-plus so much more.
According to DeLuca, PCB has
an incentive that boosts employeeowner
participation even further. " We
have a volunteer rewards program
throughout the year, and for every
hour that you volunteer outside
of business hours, you can earn
$10 in cash, " he explains. " Or you
accumulate that benefit and can
choose to donate it to Take-a-Stand or
really any other nonprofit, if you feel
strongly about that. "
Support beyond the bank
The money raised by PCB's Take-aStand
Against Child Abuse event-
both from the event-related sales and
any donations provided separately-
goes to Phelps County Child Advocacy
Network, and PCB and PCCAN meet
every year to discuss which nonprofits
will receive the funding.
Such organizations, including Court
Appointed Special Advocates, help
children in myriad ways, including
mitigating drug abuse that often leads
to child abuse, supporting children
in foster care or precarious housing
situations, and making one-time
payments for emergency expenses
such as heating bills to ensure
families' well-being.
Clockwise from top: PCB staff members
(from left) CEO Dominic DeLuca, president
Ben Tipton, chief risk officer Jessica Beucler
and COO Peter Freiberg; Pepsi Bottling of
Rolla donates drinks; lemonade stands pop
up across Phelps County to raise money.
Three or four weeks after Take-aStand,
PCB invites all lemonade stand
hosts to the bank for a party, where
they give away prizes and announce
the grand total raised for its targeted
organizations. After 29 years running
this event, PCB has raised about
$925,000, with a $1 million goal by the
event's 30-year anniversary in 2025.
Goff says PCB is grateful that the
community comes together year after
year to support such an important
cause. Speaking to bank and
program patrons, she says, " You do
business with us, and because you do
business with us, you are making our
generosity possible. That's really what
it comes down to: We're able to do
this because of the community. "
Rachel Hatcher is managing editor of
Independent Banker.
independentbanker.org // 39
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - September 2024

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