Zions Bank Employees Rally to Help ARCH Community Housing
By Eye on Sun Valley
Zions Bank’s 31st annual Paint-a-Thon brought a delightful transformation to a Hailey house this week, joining the ranks of 36 other homes that received a fresh coat of paint and a landscaping lift. This remarkable event involved nearly 20 volunteers, including local bank employees and their families, who dedicated their time to breathe new life into the home’s fence. The house, owned by ARCH Community Housing and serving as an affordable housing unit, was generously donated by Caroline and Dave Woodham in 2015.
Thanks to the availability of affordable rents, the initial two families who rented the home were able to move into market-rate housing. The impact of the Paint-a-Thon extends beyond beautifying neighborhoods; it aims to instill a sense of pride in older adults, people with disabilities, and veteran homeowners, helping them maintain their independence. Over the course of the week, more than 2,200 volunteers selflessly joined forces to clean, scrape, and paint homes in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.
The dedicated employees of Zions Bank don’t limit their efforts to painting alone. They also provide yard clean-up, pruning, mowing, planting, and minor repairs as required by the homeowners. Zions Bank covers the cost of paint and supplies, ensuring that these projects can make a significant impact. The homeowners participating in this year’s Paint-a-Thon have an average age of 76, with an average yearly income of $31,600. The selection of projects for this annual week-long event was done in collaboration with public nominations, state housing agencies, community organizations, and local churches.
Brianna Waddell, a Zions employee and the team captain for Paint-a-Thon, expressed the significance of this cherished annual tradition, stating, “As Zions Bank celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2023, this project lies at the core of our company’s values and reflects our ongoing commitment to creating value in the communities we serve.”
The Paint-a-Thon, initiated in 1991 by Zions Bank, started as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the past three decades, Zions Bank employees have sacrificed their summer pastimes, dedicating a week each year to volunteer in the evenings after work and paint a remarkable total of 1,287 homes throughout Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Excluding the monetary value of the countless volunteer hours invested over the years, the bank has donated over $1.44 million towards beautifying homes in these three states.
Thanks for the great article Eye on Sun Valley!
