Working to win a scary battle: Bank employees dress up to raise money for leukemia
Halloween is often cited as being “too commercial” like many other holidays, but there are those who see spooky season as a chance to get involved in charitable endeavors. Oh, and dress up in funny costumes too, like the folks at First National Bank.
The event is called Costumed for the Cure and raises money for the Leukemia Society. The fund-raising effort lasts the whole month of October and all five of the First National branch offices participate.
Customers visiting the Smithville Road branch Friday would have found employees dressed in costumes with a candy theme, including LeeAnn Davis as a Hershey bar, Mandy Norris as a bag of M&M’s, Michelle Brock as a Tootsie Roll and Rebecca Mullican as candy corn. The day also included a visit from a devilishly dressed Brent Foster from the bank’s main branch. As an added treat, each teller’s window had the matching candy on hand for customers with a sweet tooth.
“We’ve done this for several years,” said Foster. “One of our employees had a child who was affected by the illness. We just rallied around her and that’s how it got started.”
Cindy Swann, bank employee and the parent of that child, has been instrumental in spearheading the event since it began in 1991.
“It actually began statewide in 1990,” Swann says, “but we heard about it too late that year.”
First National has been involved every year since and has raised a substantial amount of money.
“We have placed in the top 10 in the state almost every year in money raised,” Swann said, noting the event generated an average of $5,000 each year for leukemia research.
“Last year was a slow year because it followed the 9/11 attacks. We only raised $3,452, but that was still number one in the state,” Swann said. “The biggest year we had we raised $6,800.”
In addition to canisters at all teller windows for donations, employees organize bake sales, fund-raising dinners, and contests to raise money.
If you would like to donate or just check out the First National Bank folks in funny costumes, drop by one of the branches for the rest of the month, and do your part for Costumed for the Cure.