| Zions Bank employees from the Castle Valley area paint Desie Oviatt’s home in Huntington. |
More than 2,500 volunteers painted 50 Utah and Idaho homes as part of the 12th Annual Zions Bank Paint-a Thon.
Fifty homes throughout Utah and Idaho were brightened up during the Zion Bank’s 12th annual Paint-a-Thon on June 17-22. More than 2,500 Zions Bank employee volunteers and their families scraped, prepped and painted homes in the state’s largest single-employer volunteer event of its kind.Employees from Zions Bank’s Huntington, Castle Dale and Price branch locations painted the home of Desie Oviatt in Huntington.
“Most people wouldn’t think of asking a bank to help fix up their house- so we volunteer, ” said Scott Anderson, president and CEO of Zions Bank. “For Zions Bank employees, the annual Paint-a-Thon means more than sprucing up an area home. It’s about taking the responsibility to help improve the communities in which we live and work.”
Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for 12 homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the past 11 years, Zions Bank employees have put aside summer pastimes for a week each year, volunteering in the evenings after work and on Saturday- to scrape, prep and paint a total of 378 homes throughout Utah and Idaho. Homes painted by Zions Bank employees are located from Logan to St. George and Vernal to Monticello in Utah; and from Moscow to Paris, Weiser to Ammon in Idaho.
The Paint-a-Thon is targeted to low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners. The average age of this year’s homeowner is 77, with an average monthly income of $940. The projects to be completed during the annual week long event are selected with the assistance of state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches. In addition to painting, Zions employees provide clean-up, pruning, mowing, planting and minor repairs as needed by the homeowner. The cost for all paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank.
“The Paint-a-Thon has become an event that all of us at Zions Bank look forward to each year,” said Ed Christianson, Huntington branch manager. “We recognize that banking is a local business, and that for us to be successful, we must have very strong ties to the communities we serve. The annual Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon provides an excellent opportunity for all of our employees to take an active part in our area towns.”