On your mark, get set, dial!
Local National City Bank employees punched in phone numbers to benefit Lake Orion Education Foundation (LOEF) during the bank’s Community Appreciation Day, Sept. 23.
‘Our goal is to get the public aware and engaged in the foundation’s activities,? said LOEF President and National City employee Steve Appledorn.
Appledorn and five coworkers hunkered down in Pine Tree Elementary to cold call Chamber of Commerce members and past LOEF contributors. Their mission was to get the public interested in the foundation’s Dinner Dance, which will be Nov. 20 at Canterbury Village, Appledorn said.
The Dinner Dance is a major fundraiser for the LOEF. In four years, the foundation has awarded over $100,000 in grant money to local classrooms and students, of which National City donated a large portion.
‘They are a major supporter,? Appledorn said. ‘I’m proud of what National City’s commitment has been.?
The LOEF president said the foundation prefers to give grants instead of scholarships to ‘have an impact on as many kids as we can.?
‘We stay away from overly-focused grants,? he noted, adding that the foundation takes academic merit into account first, followed by what most affects students when considering grant applications.
National City’s Randi Bellner, a market executive, was at Pine Tree making calls.
?[The bank] has been a consistent partner with the foundation; we like the vision and objectives of the foundation,? he said, adding, ‘Education is at the foundation of everything. A strong community starts with a strong education.?
Appledorn noted, ‘You can’t have a strong bank without a strong community.?
For Community Appreciation Day, 600 employees in southeastern Michigan National City branches headed to 35 different locations for volunteer work. During the day, employees contributed 2,400 hours of work, and the bank distributed $48,000 in donations.
When Appledorn was gearing up for community appreciation, he decided to work for LOEF without realizing five coworkers were joining him.
‘I’m very proud of my employer and proud of the people I work with,? he said.