2022: A Year of Community Involvement

At First Federal Lakewood, 2022 was a busy time for community involvement, exciting events, and much more. From hosting financial literacy classes to sponsoring local events, we’re recapping all of our favorite memories from the last 12 months.

Here’s what we were up to:

Highlights: January through March

  • Chalana Williams, our SVP, chief community development officer, worked with Stanley Koci, mayor of Bedford, to support the First Suburbs Single-Family Housing Zoning Code Update Project(external), which aims to identify issues with zoning and determine best practices for constructing infill housing within our communities.
  • We continued our partnership with Max Hayes High School and Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.), which encourages students to think about their future careers, learn about financial literacy, and get hands-on experiences outside of the classroom. Bethany Germano, our VP, charitable giving and corporate events officer, took the partnership a step further and connected with Motogo, a non-profit program where students worked with motorcycles and were introduced to the art of mechanics.  
  • In March, we began hosting virtual financial literacy seminars for The NID Housing Counseling Agency. These allowed community residents to learn about a variety of topics from the comfort of their own homes. These ranged from buying a house to money management and obtaining a mortgage loan.
  • We love celebrating our communities year-round. In February, we shined a light on small businesses by giving away $1,000 in gift cards(external) to 10 Northeast Ohio-based companies!

Highlights: April through June

  • Peter Cottontail(external) was at our Chagrin Falls branch on Easter and put a “hop” into our Big Day celebrations for April.
  • Members of our team volunteered with Junior Achievement at two local schools – Robert H. Jamison School and Northeast Ohio College Preparatory School. Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that helps students succeed through financial literacy, work/career readiness, and entrepreneurship activities.
  • Tom Fraser, CEO of our parent company First Mutual Holding Co., was given the Founders Award(external) for his ongoing commitment to our community.  
  • Before the school year was over, we partnered with Campus International High School in Cleveland to help educate students on banking careers and the importance of financial health. Topics included basic money management skills, establishing budgets, and maintaining good credit.

Highlights: July through September

  • July’s Food Truck Festival(external) was a (delicious!) success, with local food trucks parked at more than a dozen of our branches. Not only were we able to feed our communities and educate customers on all things banking, but we also donated $5,000 to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank!
  • We volunteered at Habitat for Humanity’s 35th annual Walk/Run/Mosey 5k at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on July 30.  
  • Through the Ohio Bankers League program, we had two interns on our team this summer: Andrew was an OBL Rotational Intern, and John was an Investment Services Intern.
  • To celebrate Good Neighbor Day on September 28, we partnered with Cleveland Moms for a giveaway on Instagram to give you – our good neighbors! – a chance to win tickets to Halloweekends at Cedar Point.

Highlights: October through December

  • We were the Title Sponsor for the 13th Annual Lakewood Chocolate Walk hosted by LakewoodAlive, in which 25 local shops and eateries participated as “sweet stops” where ticket holders could sample a unique chocolate treat.
  • Santa made a special visit to our Garfield Heights and Parma branches!
  • We hosted a variety of donation drives(external) at our branches! We collected coats, canned goods, clothing, and more to give back to those in need during the holiday season. Our Fairview Park and North Olmsted branches collected 45 coats for Coats for Kids, while employees at First Federal Lakewood and First Mutual Holding Co. were able to fulfill 30 wish lists and stuff 32 stockings for foster children for Fostering Hope.
  • We were the Title Sponsor for Light Up Lakewood in December, which was a city-wide celebration in downtown Lakewood. Our team marched in the holiday parade, hosted a fireworks show over Kauffman Park, and enjoyed the array of other festivities.
  • Our Brunswick branch hosted an art show(external) on behalf of Brunswick High School. Branch-goers could vote for their favorite works of art, all created by students.
  • Our last giveaway of the year was for our Money Tree – one lucky winner who entered via our Facebook and Instagram profiles was rewarded with $2,000!

Thank you to all our customers, partners, and employees for another great year. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook(external), Instagram(external), LinkedIn(external) and YouTube(external) to see what we’re up to in the bank and in our communities in 2023 and beyond!