Business Profiles
KSB customers vote to help AWS pets
Paul Wolf and John Gurski of Kennebunk Financial Services and Kennebunk Savings Bank’s Morris Insurance Vice President Dave Moravick were on hand to present the 2007 Community Investment Ballot check to Animal Welfare Society Executive Director Steve Jacobsen, seen here with Animal Welfare Society staff and a few of the shelter’s four-legged residents.
Courtesy photo
YORK - Local organizations won big with this year's Kennebunk Savings Bank Community Investment Ballot program, but the number one vote-getter this year was the Animal Welfare Society.
For well over a decade now - in fact, every year since 1995 - KSB has sent out its community ballot, asking customers to vote for a charity of their choice to receive unsolicited grants from the bank.
This year, more than 5,000 customers of Kennebunk Savings Bank, Morris Insurance and Kennebunk Financial Services responded and hundreds of area nonprofit groups and charitable organizations have been receiving surprise checks based on the number of votes they received. In total, more than $120,000 is being donated this year, with 20 area organizations receiving grants of $1,000 or more.
And the Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk received the highest number of votes - 482 to be exact - which resulted in a donation of more than $11,000 to help homeless dogs, cats and small animals from across York County.
When Paul Wolf, John Gurski and Dave Moravick delivered the check to the Animal Welfare Society, the staff and volunteers were delighted, to say the least.
"This is a great gift for us at a great time, when we're facing increased costs and hundreds of mouths to feed, so every contribution helps," said Animal Welfare Society Executive Director Steve Jacobsen.
Other checks will be mailed to unsuspecting organizations that were write-in candidates. The amount of every check is carefully calculated to reflect the overall amount allocated for the program and the exact number of votes they received from our customers.
"The most fun we have is calling a nonprofit to tell them there is something we have for them and then bringing out the check in person," said KSB Assistant Vice President for Community Relations Heather Harris. "And yes, we do open and hand count the vote of every ballot received."
Some of this year's other top vote-getters include York Hospital, the Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County, the York Land Trust, Hospice of Southern Maine and Another Chance Animal Rescue.
"We strongly believe that community banks have a responsibility to give back to their communities. Our policy is to give 10 percent of our annual earnings to nonprofits and charities of York County and the ballot is only a part of our Community Investment Program," said Ken Reed of KSB. "The Community Investment Ballot is a special program, however, because it gives our customers a chance to direct contributions to organizations they deem the most important."
The bank has contributed more than $5 million to charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout York County in the past 14 years.
