American Trust: Supporting a better tomorrow
“By giving through the Community Foundation, I know these dollars go a long way.”
– Pat Hogrefe, American trust
As executive vice president of the Dyersville-Farley region of American Trust, Pat Hogrefe has seen the impact the business has made in Dyersville.
“As a local, family-owned bank, American Trust takes pride in the communities it serves,” he says.
American Trust has served the Dyersville Area for more than 30 years and has made many donations to the Dyersville Area Community Foundation’s grantmaking endowment.
“This gives small nonprofits in our rural communities the ability to make improvements or take on projects that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” says Sheila Tegeler, first vice president of American Trust and board president of the Dyersville Area Community Foundation.
This year, that endowment paid out $5,500 in grants to local nonprofits supporting local efforts in education, health, wellness and community development. The DACF endowment is invested and pays out 5% annually to provide a reliable source of grantmaking dollars forever.
This summer, in cooperation with St. Mark Youth Enrichment and the Dyersville Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, American Trust provided strong financial support to the Summer Academy, a seven-week program that helps students maintain or increase their reading proficiency over the
summer break.
“It goes a long way to support the kids in school right now,” says Pat. “They’re our future leaders, so their success in school and equal access to opportunities is key to future growth in the Dyersville area.”
Businesses like American Trust benefit from supporting their local communities because, as Pat explains, “When a community succeeds, the bank succeeds.”
“It improves our community as a whole, which, in turn, creates better lives for the people we serve,” he says. “It’s a win-win to give back to the community.”
Read more stories about the impact we’re making in the Dyersville Area by visiting www.dbqfoundation.org/DACF.