Alliance Bank: Amber R. Van Til (center left), president & CEO of the Indiana Bankers Association, presents (from left) Kayley Kasten, Ashley Bice, Cathy Drake-Seymour, Andy Rummel and Jonathan Elkins of Alliance Bank with the 2023 IBA Commitment to Community Award in the category of banks with up to $500 million in assets.

Horizon Bank: (from left) Susan Hargrove, Alexis Harris, Cindy Pressinell, Mari Chavez, Amy Phares and Thomas Prame of Horizon Bank accept the 2023 Commitment to Community Award in the category of banks with $500 million or more in assets from Amber R. Van Til (center), president & CEO of the Indiana Bankers Association.

“We really believe it’s important, and ultimately we try to embody that with every employee we onboard and every employee who is within the organization,” said Jonathan Elkins, executive vice president and chief lending officer at Alliance Bank. “We donated more than $100,000 to local nonprofits and other organizations … that’s a big number and I think it really helped us take note of what kind of impact we’re having in our communities.”

Thomas Prame, president and CEO of Horizon Bank, said it was humbling even to be named a finalist for the award. His institution was awarded for the category of banks with assets of $500 million and above. Prame said the recognition “reinforces the fact that as you get bigger, you can remain true to your core values that guided your success for decades of being meaningful and impactful in the communities you call home.

“I think the bank’s key to success in community service is having passionate advisors that share our mission of giving back and ensuring we have fantastic local partnerships,” he added. “We’re genuine in our commitments and actively looking for new partners and a way to help at all times.”

Alliance and Horizon were chosen out of 25 entrants across the two categories. The awards were presented on Wednesday, May 8, during the IBA Mega Conference in Indianapolis.

Community First Bank of Indiana, Kokomo; Fowler State Bank; Home Bank, Martinsville; and North Salem State Bank were also recognized as finalists.

The Association created the C2C Awards in 2018 to celebrate exceptional bank outreach and raise public awareness of the diverse ways that banks support the communities they serve.

“Banks are not only economic drivers in communities across the state of Indiana, but true community partners,” said Amber R. Van Til, IBA president and CEO. “It’s our honor to recognize Alliance Bank for breaking its record for community donations, and the staff of Horizon Bank who recorded more than 11,600 volunteer hours last year. These are just two examples from the nearly 120 IBA-member banks that serve their communities day-in and day-out.”

All 25 nominees are featured on IBA social media under hashtag #C2CAwards. A summary of all bank nominations is available on the IBA website.