FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2020) – The Independent Community Bankers of America announced Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as a recipient of its 2020 National Community Bank Service Award for extraordinary efforts to help small businesses, consumers and their community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to support our friends and neighbors and humbled by this recognition from ICBA for doing what we’ve always done—supporting our community through good times and adversity,” said Amy McQuagge, vice president and director of marketing at Sanibel Captiva Community Bank. “We are a proud member of this community, which serves as a lifeline for every small business that calls Lee County home.”
As consumers and small businesses grappled with the onset of COVID-19, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank stepped up as a financial first responder and steward of its community in numerous ways.
For months, the bank’s team worked nights and weekends to provide the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program assistance, processing over 750 loans totaling nearly $70 million to save an estimated 9,000 jobs in Southwest Florida.
The bank gifted a charitable donation of $102,500 to help 12 Southwest Florida not-for-profit organizations serving children and feeding people that were in need due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The gift supported The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva, Blessings in a Backpack SWFL, Valerie’s House, PACE Center for Girls-Lee, The Heights Foundation, Hearts to Home, Senior Friendship Centers, American Legion Post 38, Children’s Education Center of the Islands, Sanibel Sea School and the Sanibel School Fund.
In addition to financial support, the bank donated 2,700 square feet of rent-free office space to the Southwest Florida Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack and the Southwest Florida Symphony.
“ICBA is proud to honor the extraordinary dedication and commitment of community bankers, whose spirit of service shined through when our country needed it most,” said ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey. “We are so fortunate to represent such thoughtful and compassionate community leaders, and we commend their efforts to go above and beyond, even during times of challenge.”
The 2020 National Community Bank Service Awards, presented by ICBA and sponsored by FIS, generated more than 100 inspirational stories from community banks like Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, a sampling of which is showcased in the September issue of ICBA’s award-winning magazine, Independent Banker.
ICBA founded the National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002 to celebrate outstanding volunteer efforts and bring national recognition to the unmatched contributions community banks make to help sustain their communities.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® creates and promotes an environment where community banks flourish. With more than 50,000 locations nationwide, community banks constitute 99 percent of all banks, employ nearly 750,000 Americans and are the only physical banking presence in one in three U.S. counties. Holding more than $5 trillion in assets, nearly $4 trillion in deposits, and more than $3.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community, community banks channel local deposits into the Main Streets and neighborhoods they serve, spurring job creation, fostering innovation and fueling their customers’ dreams in communities throughout America. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.