The Texas Bankers Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Bankers Association, has announced the recipients of its 2024 Cornerstone and Leader in Financial Education (LiFE) Awards. Each of the banks or bankers selected has demonstrated excellence in community involvement or has promoted financial education in its communities. The awards were presented during the May 9 luncheon at the Texas Bankers Association’s 139th Annual Convention.
For more than 20 years, the foundation has recognized excellence in community engagement with the Cornerstone Awards. Throughout the years, winners have been recognized for helping low- to moderate-income families, students with financial difficulties, economic development initiatives, community celebrations and more.
Because providing financial capability is such an important part of the industry’s community involvement, the foundation recognizes these efforts through its Leaders in Financial Education (LiFE) Awards.
“Accepting the Cornerstone Award on the first anniversary of our BusinessHQ grand opening is a full circle moment,” says Brandon Jones, senior vice president/national external affairs director and BusinessHQ project lead at Dallas-based Comerica Bank. “It is an honor to be recognized as a cornerstone of our community and for our bank’s most significant contribution to the Southern [Dallas] sector’s economic revitalization efforts.”
Through a mix of no-cost coworking spaces, incubation fellowships and technical assistance, Comerica BusinessHQ addresses the three essential needs of aspiring small businesses: capital, cultivation and connectivity. After seven months of operations in the Southern sector of Dallas, Comerica BusinessHQ reported 120-plus enrolled members, 2,481 hours of co-working used by small business owners and nonprofits, $42,408 of no-cost co-working space provided and $9,184 of in-kind rent provided to an incubation nonprofit partner.
This year’s Cornerstone recipients:
- Citizens State Bank, Woodville
- Point Bank, Pilot Point
- Comerica Bank, Dallas
- Texas Bank, Henderson
- 1st Community Bank, Alice
- Texas Capital Bank, Dallas
- First State Bank, Athens
- Texas National Bank, Mercedes
- Lubbock National Bank, Lubbock
- Wellington State Bank, Wellington
- North Dallas Bank & Trust, Dallas
“We are honored to receive the Texas Bankers Association LiFE Award,” says Chad D. Stary, president and CEO of First State Bank of Uvalde. “We believe that financial education is essential for building strong and resilient communities. This award is a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing valuable resources and educational opportunities to our customers and neighbors.”
First State Bank of Uvalde engages in a variety of initiatives such as workshops, seminars and partnerships with local schools and community organizations to promote financial literacy among all age groups. The bank also leads efforts to educate consumers on the importance of cybersecurity to ensure that the public is up to date on the latest in protecting personal financial information and understanding scams, and the negative impact they create.
This year’s LiFE Award recipients:
- First State Bank of Uvalde, Uvalde
- North Dallas Bank & Trust, Dallas
- Southside Bank, Tyler
Check out the July–August issue of Texas Banking magazine, which includes with special video presentations on the 2024 Cornerstone and LiFE Award recipients.
