On June 26, 2024, representatives from Peoples Bank stopped by the Sunrise Ministry Support Center (MSC) in Mt. Washington to present a donation from Peoples Bank Foundation to Sunrise President Dale Suttles. Usually, it’s the other way around – representatives from Sunrise Children’s Services often visit the bank to make deposits. But the relationship Sunrise has with Peoples Bank is special. And this was a special day.
All the Sunrise staff working at the MSC that day gathered in the lobby to witness Peoples Bank Senior Vice President Joseph Seiler and Commercial Banking Portfolio Officer Zack Owen generously give $10,000 to Sunrise’s ministry, with the promise of two more $10,000 checks coming in the next two years.
“We view it as an investment,” said Seiler. “Peoples Bank has a philosophy that we want to be a part of the community; we want to serve the community; we want to help the community grow. We want to support the people and the institutions that are going to make our communities better.”
This special relationship with Sunrise began in 2019 with Limestone Bank (before it merged with Peoples Bank). “The former president of Limestone and I came out to meet with Dale, and we had a really open and honest conversation about how we might be able to work together,” explained Seiler. “We refinanced their previous lender, and we provided a lot of necessary capital for Sunrise to grow its mission and get over the hump.”
And then came COVID. “That was kind of a bump in the road,” Seiler said. “But we all stayed steady and, as good partners do, we locked arms and kept moving forward. It’s been a good relationship for both, and we just look forward to continuing it.”
And it was that relationship that led Seiler and Owen to walk through the MSC doors with their generous gift. It is a gift that Peoples Bank Foundation is trusting Sunrise to use how they feel is best. “I think that Sunrise knows best what they do and what they need to do, and we want them to continue their mission to serve at-risk children and give these children opportunity and more hope.”
Sunrise also trusts Peoples Bank and values their partnership. “They understand the problem in the Commonwealth. They understand what it takes so they are investing in a vision; but they are investing in a vision that they think is on the right path,” Suttles said. “And I think that means more to me and more to Sunrise than anything because they’ve seen us in our darkest times, when we had to fight for our very existence. They were investing in us then and continue to invest in us now.”
All of us at Sunrise appreciate Peoples Bank and Peoples Bank Foundation for their partnership; but more importantly, we value and appreciate the investment they are making in the lives of hurting children throughout this state.
