Bank gives $30,000 to 2 local agencies

Girls Inc. of Johnson County and Youth Connections are dedicated to making life better for the children in this area.

With the help of a local bank, both will be able to carry out their missions a little more easily.

Home Bank has awarded the two Johnson County agencies with $15,000 grants to help in their efforts to help local children. Youth Connections will use their grant to buy a transportation van, while Girls Inc. of Johnson County will put the grant toward its ongoing capital improvements project.

“We really do believe in being a good partner in the communities we serve and want to help make things better than they were,” said Trent McWilliams, Johnson County market president for Home Bank. “We want Home Bank to leave a legacy where they’ve touched people where they do business.”

With a van, Youth Connections will be able to help shuttle kids to supervised visits so that they can retain a connection with a parent or parents in a safe environment.

Girls Inc. of Johnson County is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and has embarked on a three-year campaign of renovations to its historic Franklin headquarters. The $170,000 project includes improvements to all areas of the house. Handicap-accessible bathrooms were finished early this year as part of the first phase of the campaign.

The next phase will focus on a new attic storage room, heating and cooling system improvements, porch, roof and gutter repairs, basement renovation for program space, new signage, and painting and cleaning the exterior of the center.

“We’re tied to trying to help youth, trying to help education and trying to help poverty issues. Those are our primary functions when looking at this,” McWilliams said.

The grants were awarded as part of Home Bank’s community gift program, founded in 2012. The bank offers grants to worthy recipients, taking 10 percent of its quarterly profits to fund the gifts.

Home Bank, with branches in the Center Grove area, Martinsville and Mooresville, allows its managers to look for worthwhile projects and agencies in their communities. Officials come together with ideas of projects to help, discuss where the biggest need is and then vote on the recipients.

The hope is to fund a project or program beyond just operating expenses, McWilliams said.

“We want to do something that’s beneficial for a program or something they can use to build a better organization with,” he said. “We want them to help make a difference in the people they serve.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

What: Home Bank Community Gifting Program, grants given to community agencies and organizations making a difference in Morgan and Johnson counties.

Recipients: Girls Inc. of Johnson County and Youth Connections

Amount: $15,000 each

What will they be used for?

  • Girls Inc. of Johnson County will use the grant to as part of its capital improvements campaign, helping the organization add a new attic storage room, improve the heating and cooling system, repair the porch roof and gutters, renovate the basement for program space, add new signage, and paint and clean the exterior of our center.
  • Youth Connections has put the grant toward a new transportation van to help shuttle children to supervised visits.

Information: homebanksb.com

[sc:pullout-text-end]

Previous articleQuite a story to tell
Next articleDOUBLE TROUBLE
Ryan Trares
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist at the Daily Journal. He has long reported on the opioids epidemic in Johnson County, health care, nonprofits, social services and veteran affairs. When he is not writing about arts, entertainment and lifestyle, he can be found running, exploring Indiana’s craft breweries and enjoying live music. He can be reached at [email protected] or 317-736-2727. Follow him on Twitter: @rtrares