From the moment Sky Bank entered the Cleveland market a few years ago, it has sought to make a discernible mark on the community.
With support for community engagement coming from the top and extending throughout the organization, Sky Bank has succeeded in making an impact in the communities where its employees live and work.
“Sky Bank’s success in the Greater Cleveland community hinges, in part, on our ability to actively contribute to the organizations and efforts that are helping to improve Northeast Ohio,” says Regional President Dick Hollington III. “Being a good neighbor will help us become the region’s premier community bank.”
Sky Bank focuses on financial education, small business development and growth, and neighborhood development to improve the quality of life in its communities. A 12-member committee reviews contribution requests and finds strategies to increase employee volunteerism.
In the area of financial education, Sky works with organizations and campaigns throughout Cuyahoga County that help individuals save, build wealth, purchase homes and plan for retirement. For example, its sponsorship of Cleveland’s Anti-Predatory Lending Week helped educate people on issues they face when buying a home. And its work with the Cleveland Realtist Association, an organization dedicated to helping minorities purchase a home, provides resources to help build communities through home ownership.
In the area of small business growth and development, Sky Bank is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners Cleveland. Sky works with the group to encourage innovate business practices in the entrepreneurial sector.
Sky also helps promote neighborhood development through its involvement with social service agencies, which is a major part of its commitment to the community. This year, Sky is the principal sponsor of the Shoes and Clothes for Kids “Back to School” campaign. The program provides needy families with new clothing items and shoe gift cards. Sky also provides a matching grant to the Cleveland Foodbank’s annual Harvest for Hunger campaign.
In addition, it contributes to local chapters of United Way and the YMCA, and supports senior programs and issues through in-kind and financial contributions. Its relationship with Ashbury Senior Community Center has helped bring 300 surplus computers and other equipment into the center for staff and senior community members to use.
How to reach: Sky Bank, www.sky-bank.com
