The commitment of New Washington State Bank (NWSB) to our community has been made permanent through a new endowment fund created at the Scott County Community Foundation. The NWSB Community Fund will provide grants to nonprofit organizations and schools each year during the Foundation’s Community Grants Program.
The very first The New Washington State Bank (NWSB) opened its doors on March 6, 1908 in New Washington, Ind. It was founded by a group of ten prominent business leaders and farmers who felt New Washington and the surrounding farming communities would be better served with a bank of their own. Since their humble beginnings 116 years ago, NWSB has since added branches in the surrounding communities of Henryville, Charlestown, Borden, Jeffersonville, Sellersburg, Scottsburg, River Ridge, New Albany, and most recently, downtown Jeffersonville on Spring Street.
“As a local bank, all decisions are made here in Southern Indiana and customers enjoy the personal banking relationships,” NWSB states on its website.
Because of their growth into the various communities, they modified their brand in 2015 to the initials NWSB. With their new look came the addition of more services involving the areas of technology and accessibility. All banks offer a myriad of services, but at NWSB they desire to create relationships with their customers and the community. Their tagline, “Banking the Way You Want,” demonstrates this desire. They offer online banking and a mobile app with check capture, yet still offer the personal face-to-face services that local residents appreciate.
In 2007, the Scottsburg branch of NWSB opened its doors and now has seven employees. Their dedication to the community and the Scott County Community Foundation started immediately with their first donation to SCCF’s unrestricted Community Enrichment Fund. NWSB has been a faithful donor ever since, supporting the Foundation’s mission and now through the creation of a permanently invested fund to support the community.
“NWSB always strives to support the communities that we do business in,” shared Kerriann Webb, NWSB Assistant Vice President/Executive Assistant. “The creation of the endowment fund was one way for NWSB to show the community that we plan to be here and help the community not only today but well into the future.”
The culture of giving back to the community is strong at NWSB. “NWSB realizes that culture is made up of life experiences that each and every employee brings to the organization,” said Webb. “We encourage community involvement which fosters relationships and allows the development of strong community partners. Nearly everything NWSB believes in is focused around the communities we serve. We try to be very creative in the ways we give back. Although monetary donations are important, we feel time, resources, and experiences are just as important.”
“NWSB maintains a local management team and staff which provides local decision making,” continued Webb. “We are proud to live, work, play and support Southern Indiana.”
When you see employees participating in blue jean Fridays to support local nonprofits selected by employees, or staff at the “fun truck” serving ice cream at community events, you can be assured that NWSB is giving back to Scott County and our region.
“We are very thankful for this partnership with NWSB,” shared Scott County Community Foundation Executive Director Jaime Toppe. “They have been a wonderful asset to Scott County, and now through this fund, we can provide more dollars back to the community every year!”
As an unrestricted fund, any gifts to the NWSB Community Fund qualify for a matching grant opportunity from Lilly Endowment. Donations may be made online at www.scottcountyfoundation.org or mailed to SCCF; PO Box 25; Scottsburg, IN 47170.
