Simmons Bank donated $50,000 to Junior Achievement USA (JA USA) at the Simmons River Market Building in Little Rock this week. The donation was made in recognition of the more than 6,400 volunteer hours associates donated to their local communities during Simmons Bank’s September Service Month. The gift will fund work-readiness and financial literacy skills for children across Simmons Bank’s six-state footprint.
“Better Together is embedded into our culture at Simmons Bank,” said Jena Compton, EVP, chief people officer at Simmons Bank. “Even during the most challenging times of the pandemic, our associates creatively and safely continued to donate to a variety of non-profit organizations. Simmons Bank associates work together to serve our communities. We are pleased to provide this gift in honor of our dedicated associates.”
Since 2015, Simmons Bank has donated more than $200,000 to Junior Achievement in honor of Simmons Bank Associates on Giving Tuesday.
“We at Junior Achievement are committed to giving young people the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities, and with Simmons Bank’s investment in our financial literacy and work and career readiness programs, we are able to do that,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “The engagement of volunteers is shown to make our learning experiences even more effective. We are especially appreciative of the time Simmons Bank volunteers are dedicating to this effort.”
In September, associates across the bank’s footprint participated in the fifth annual Simmons Service Month, a companywide initiative designed to encourage volunteerism. Simmons Bank provided all associates paid time off in September to volunteer.
The bank’s $50,000 gift to JA USA will impact children in the following Simmons Bank communities:
JA of Middle Tennessee (Nashville)
JA of Arkansas (Little Rock)
JA of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
JA of St. Louis
JA of Greater Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
JA of Kansas (Wichita, KS)
Earlier this year, Simmons Bank provided temporary offices for Junior Achievement of Memphis. The in-kind gift of temporary office space at its Moriah Woods location was for one year while the nonprofit’s new headquarters were built in Binghampton. In addition to the in-kind gift, the Simmons First Foundation donated $22,500 to Junior Achievement’s JA Inspire career exploration program. JA Inspire helps 8th and 9th graders gain exposure to multiple career pathways and industries across the Mid-South including agriculture, architecture, construction, arts, communication, health science, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing, marketing, transportation and more. Brandon Cooper, Simmons Bank Market President, serves as chairman of the board of directors for the Memphis and Mid-South chapter.
Simmons associates who donated 15 or more volunteer hours during Simmons Service Month also received $150 for charities of their choice. These top volunteers raised a combined $11,550 for charities across Simmons Bank’s footprint.
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