BankPlus Pioneers Charitable Giving Campaign

If you’ve walked through a BankPlus location in DeSoto County, you’ve likely seen the little green houses with the Palmer Home for Children logo pinned up throughout the bank. These houses and the donations they represent were part of a test program for Palmer Home.

“We are so thankful to BankPlus for being our pilot program,” said Michelle Stubbs, Director of Development for Palmer Home for Children.

From November 7 through November 23, BankPlus locations in Desoto County asked every customer, both inside the bank and in its drive-through, if they would like to donate $1 to Palmer Home for Children. The six participating bank branches raised almost $1,000 in less than three weeks. The Venture Drive location in Southaven was recognized for raising the most funds.

As a long time Palmer Home Partner, BankPlus seemed the obvious place to test the new campaign aimed at both raising awareness and raising funds. In addition to being a corporate partner, many of the leaders of BankPlus are individual donors. Although BankPlus has locations throughout the state, the initial campaign focused on Desoto County in order to focus on raising awareness first in a community where Palmer Home has a campus.

“Worth Steen, President of BankPlus, was instrumental in approving the test and getting the employees’ support,” said Stubbs.

Throughout the two and a half weeks, several former Palmer Home residents stopped by the bank to make donations. Each took a few minutes to talk about the effect Palmer Home had in their lives and how far they’ve come since their days living on campus.

One of the most heart-touching donations came from a man who was in the hospital. He wanted to do something to show his support for the children of Palmer Home. He sent his wife with a donation to the bank, even though he was gravely ill.

The campaign gave Palmer Home an opportunity to work out the details of their pin up campaign while at the same time connecting with the community. Stubbs said it was a win-win for the organization.

Ultimately, Palmer Home hopes to expand the pin up campaign to grocery stores, clothing boutiques and other retail businesses. The next pin up campaign is happening now at Cadence Bank locations throughout Starkville, West Point & Columbus.

If your retail business would like to learn more about the campaign and how you can be a part of it, please contact development@palmerhome.org.