Bank pays it forward for 145th anniversary

Cattle Bank and Trust is celebrating its 145th year by paying it forward—47 times.

As part of its 145th anniversary, the bank gave each of its 47 employees $145 to use to make someone else’s life a little better.

“They were really tickled to do that. It gave them the opportunity to give back to some things they’d been wanting to,” said Becky Vahle, vice president of the bank’s board of directors.

Board President and bank Chief Executive Officer Ryne Seaman said this was the bank’s first time doing a company-wide project like this.

“It’s giving thanks by giving back,” Seaman said. “That’s why you bank with a community bank. We are invested not only financially, but with our time and talents on a daily basis.”

Joette Hartshorn, vice president of the Seward locations and the teller supervisor, gave her $145 to the Coalition for Older Adult Health Promotion in Lincoln for its Make a Wish Come True program, which helped her sister, Denise Sanders, while she was battling cancer earlier this year.

Sanders was on hospice care and was granted her wish for a spa day, for which Hartshorn was able to join her.

“They made my sister feel very special on her spa day, and I was lucky enough to spend it with her,” Hartshorn said.

Her sister died Aug. 4, and Hartshorn said she will treasure the memory, which is why she wanted to pay it forward.

“I hoped I would be able to help touch somebody else’s life,” she said.

Hartshorn said she wanted to thank Cattle Bank for organizing the campaign.

“It’s just how they are with the community and their feelings for everybody. They want to help make a difference. That’s just how they are,” she said.

Tanner Roth, a loan officer at the bank who grew up in the Milford area, gave his donation to the Milford Mennonite Church for its Gathering Table project.

The Gathering Table is held the second and fourth Thursday of each month, and volunteers from the church make meals to share.

“They serve meals to the whole community,” Roth said. “My uncle’s a pastor there, and he kind of started it.”

So, Roth worked with his uncle, Tim Springer, to give the volunteers a break from cooking one week.

“I bought all the food, and people from the church helped make desserts. We fed 112 people,” Roth said.

That day happened to be Oct. 11—Roth’s birthday—and he had been thinking about celebrating his day with a service project for a couple of months.

“I wanted to start my year serving people,” he said.

He said many of the people who attend The Gathering Table are older and don’t have many opportunities to socialize.

“It had an impact on me. You see a different need that’s out there,” Roth said. “You feel better about giving than when you receive.”

Roth also participated in a second project with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Seward High, an organization he helps lead.

“Brad (Wagner, an ag loan officer) gave me his $145. We hosted a coaches’ appreciation dinner. All coaches and sponsors of any activity were welcome to attend,” Roth said.

Student volunteers helped prepare and serve a taco meal to 15 coaches.

“I know they appreciated it,” he said.

Nancy Hans, human resources officer at the bank, chose to give her $145 to the Seward Volunteer Fire Department.

“There are several reasons for this decision. I grew up with my family members being involved as volunteers at other local fire departments. I have always had a deep appreciation for their dedication,” Hans said.

Another reason, she said, was for the department’s response to an early morning fire on Dec. 8, 2016, that burned the building next door to the bank.

“Because of the volunteers’ efforts, they saved

Cattle Bank and Trust from total destruction,” Hans said. “Just walking into Cattle Bank and Trust after we were allowed to return to work made me realize what the volunteers risk. The aftermath of the fire and smoke damage was incredible. The SVFD volunteers experience the firsthand emergencies every call, risking their life to help others.”

She said a more personal call on Feb. 4, 2017, left her waiting on her front steps for rescuers to arrive.

“They were professionals who, upon arrival, took action and attended my husband who was in a life-threatening situation,” Hans said. “They were a well-orchestrated team. As I watched this surreal situation, I wasn’t thinking about the volunteers’ lives, what they might have been doing, or if they needed to get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s responsibilities. All I thought about was ‘help my husband.’ I was depending

on them. Because of their efforts, my husband and I can enjoy each other today and continue to plan our tomorrows.”

Vahle said the project has allowed the community to benefit, but it has also benefitted those who work together at the bank. They each reported what they did with the money and shared their stories with one another.

“You learn something about your co-workers, their interests and their passions,” she said.

The bank participates in other community-oriented projects throughout the year, as well, including the Cattle Classic basketball tournament, which collects food donations for local pantries, and Casual for a Cause, a program the bank started in the early 2000s.

Employees can pay a dollar each week to dress down on Fridays.

“The bank matches that to give to families in need,” Seaman said.

Some of the money raised through Casual for a Cause was was given to the residents in the apartment building next door that caught fire in 2016.

Each of the employees had a story to tell about what they gave their $145 toward and why they chose that project. Some gave to organizations, while others gave to families and individuals.

Read more of their stories in next week’s SCI.

emily@sewardindependent.com