BEWARE THE PERFECT STORM - FHLBank Topeka

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COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY FHLBANK MEMBER COREFIRST BANK & TRUST USES FHLBANK PRODUCTS TO ENHANCE ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH by Laura Maag Lutz AVP, Congressional and Community Outreach FHLBank Topeka COREFIRST: AHP IN ACTION Imagine having 13 kids under your roof – the logistics of preparing dinner for such a rowdy bunch and supervising homework each night is mind-boggling. It doesn’t faze Ken Davis, however. He and his wife, Kellie, are house parents at The Villages in Topeka, a nonprofit corporation that provides family-style group homes for youth ages 6 to 18 years who have been abused, abandoned or neglected. Ken has watched The Villages grow during the last 11 years that he and his wife have served as house parents, and he’s been witness to the fact that it’s not always easy for a non-profit to make ends meet. That’s why Davis, as well as executives and the board of directors of The Villages, are grateful for the recent assistance the organization has received thanks to a partnership between FHLBank Topeka and CoreFirst Bank & Trust. FHLBank member CoreFirst helped The Villages apply for grant assistance from FHLBank’s Affordable Housing Program, which resulted in the organization qualifying for two grants totaling $610,000. The funds are being used to renovate five homes in Topeka and two in Lawrence that house up to 10 youth each along with their house parents. The homes are getting new siding, windows, exterior doors, roofs and gutters. “One of the first things I noticed as I walked into one of the homes that had the siding and windows replaced was how quiet it was,” said Villages’ executive director Sylvia Crawford. She hopes the grants, which have been referred to as Another 40 Years, will live up to their name and help breathe another four decades of life into The Villages’ ranch-style homes. L to r: John Fager, Kent Fager and Bob Derstein of CoreFirst Bank & Trust; Sylvia Crawford, executive director of The Villages; and Terry Wright, FHLBank account manager. Long-time Villages board member and CoreFirst senior vice president and trust officer, Bob Derstein, said, “These grants were a shot in the arm. It allowed us to make a number of needed improvements much sooner than we’d have been able to otherwise.” The majority of The Villages’ income comes from reimbursement for care, Derstein said, but that just covers the basics. “We’ve always been dependent on outside resources beyond feeding and clothing the kids,” he added. CoreFirst’s support of The Villages is typical of the bank’s community-minded spirit. The Villages’ grants represent CoreFirst’s 5th and 6th successful FHLBank AHP applications since becoming a member of FHLBank Topeka in 1993. All total, CoreFirst has secured $987,000 in AHP grant funds, which has helped develop 167 units of affordable housing in the Topeka area. CoreFirst chairman, president and CEO, Duane Fager, who served on the FHLBank board of directors from 1997 to 2004, recalled, “When the board would look at the impact the AHP was having across the Tenth District and all of the money that went to different organizations and to different programs, it’s just phenomenal. We’re glad to be just a little piece of that here in the Topeka community. There are some organizations and programs in this area that wouldn’t be nearly as good as they are today without these programs. The FHLBank housing programs are so valuable,” Fager said. Given CoreFirst’s commitment to community, it’s no surprise that in October, the FDIC gave the institution, which has assets of more than $1 billion, an outstanding rating on its 10 FHLBank Focus | Winter 2007
MORE ON THE VILLAGES AND FHLBANK TOPEKA In addition to the partnership between FHLBank Topeka and CoreFirst Bank & Trust to secure $610,000 in AHP grant monies, FHLBank employees also partnered with The Villages staff in 2006 and 2007 to raise money and provide more than 1,200 volunteer hours to the organization. Bob Derstein, SVP and trust officer for CoreFirst, sits on The Villages board of directors. His relationship with The Villages eventually led to CoreFirst’s partnership with FHLBank Topeka in securing $610,000 in AHP grants for the organization. The Villages was founded in 1967 by Dr. Karl Menninger, the renowned psychiatrist of The Menninger Clinic, formerly located in Topeka on the very spot where FHLBank’s offices are now located. The Villages operates five group homes in Topeka and two in Lawrence, each housing up to 10 youth at a time. A set of house parents live in each home, often with their biological children to provide love, support and structure. Community Reinvestment Act obligations. An outstanding CRA rating is rare in the industry, especially among larger community financial institutions. “We’re pretty proud of that,” Fager said. “We’ve got four core commitments – to our stockholders, to our customers, to our employees and to our communities.” In addition to CoreFirst branches and ATMs conveniently located throughout town, their logo can be found on numerous community events indicating their sponsorship and support of everything from fundraising walks to symphony concerts. Fager said CoreFirst’s community-minded approach is vital to its everyday operations. “Giving back to the community is a key part of our strategic plan.” “It’s just part of the culture here and it starts from Emery on down,” said Kent Fager, senior vice president and commercial loan officer at CoreFirst, whose grandfather, Emery Fager, helped found CoreFirst and has long been a role model for his son and grandchildren who followed him into the banking business. Kent Fager said CoreFirst employees recently contributed to the renovation of two Habitat homes in Topeka, and that nearly 90% of CoreFirst officers are involved in charitable causes by serving on boards and donating their time and money to improve the communities CoreFirst does business in. “And anytime we can help out an organization like The Villages, it’s a great thing,” Fager said. Derstein realizes daily how important it is for The Villages to have access to grant funding. “Like many of us, I was fortunate to have grown up in a supportive home, and I was well into adulthood before I realized that it wasn’t the way everyone grows up. I’m grateful to be able to serve on the board of an organization like The Villages to be able to make a difference for disadvantaged youth.” Derstein is also grateful that his employer is supportive of an organization like The Villages. Derstein adds, “Maybe some of these kids will grow up to be bankers one day.” Dr. Menninger’s vision of helping troubled youth by showing them a model of concerned parents and a well-functioning family is in full bloom at The Villages. House parents provide a nurturing atmosphere for the children in their care. The organization, like a family, is always interested in ways to improve the lives of its members. Over the course of the partnership, FHLBank Topeka employees have organized workdays to tackle a variety of projects ranging from installing new electrical outlets to building raised garden beds and basketball courts. The workdays have made a lasting impact on Villages residents. “The facelift our homes have gotten as a result of the FHLBank workdays has lifted spirits across the complex,” said executive director of The Villages, Sylvia Crawford. Sylvia Crawford explains how FHLBank’s assistance has made a difference to The Villages. “The new roofs, siding and windows we paid for with help from the AHP grant have lowered our utility bills, freeing up dollars for other special treats for the kids.” COREFIRST: AHP IN ACTION www.fhlbtopeka.com 11
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BEWARE THE PERFECT STORM - FHLBank Topeka

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