WEST LIBERTY STATE BANK GIVES $25,000 TO THE NEW ATHLETIC COMPLEX
WEST LIBERTY, IA – Each year the bank buys and serves a breakfast for all West Liberty Community School District’s staff members. This year, at the August 18th breakfast, Jason Cassady, the Market President at West Liberty State Bank, announced a gift of $25,000 to the school athletic complex project on the Bank’s behalf.
“We are very grateful for this tremendous financial gift and all the other support we get from West Liberty State Bank,” said Superintendent Shaun Kruger. “The bank has been a major school supporter for many years by providing financial support, sponsorship support and employee volunteering for school activities.”
Cassady said that everyone at the bank is excited about this project and what it will mean for the community.
“This complex is going to be a game changer for West Liberty,” said Cassady. “The town has a lot of momentum with various projects, so the timing is perfect for a major school infrastructure project. We believe this will be a significant factor in bringing new families to town.”
West Liberty State Bank has been a reputable financial institution in the community for decades. In 2015 the location was acquired by South Ottumwa Savings Bank but maintained the West Liberty State Bank name. South Ottumwa Savings Bank, a privately owned Iowa based bank, has a major presence in eastern Iowa completing 3 acquisitions in the past ten years and continuing to grow. As the bank has pushed into new markets, the strategy remains the same – maintain the hometown brand and support the community as much as possible.
“Our owners are very supportive of everything we do for the community of West Liberty,” said Cassady. “I met with them to present the athletic complex project and they agreed that this would be a great investment to the school and community.”
In addition to the teacher breakfast, West Liberty State Bank has provided meals for various athletic teams, given money to help transport students to athletic events, and more. Not only does the bank financially contribute, but several bank employees are active volunteers for the district. Jason Cassady is the Chairperson for the athletic complex committee and other bank employees volunteer in various capacities. Vice President and Branch Manager, Carmela Lechuga, has served on the West Liberty School Foundation for several years, and Loan Officer, J.J. Garcia, volunteers for Junior Achievement, Comet Cast, was a member of the 2002 state baseball team, and rarely misses a Comet event.
“I view this as our duty as bank employees,” said Garcia. “I’ve lived in West Liberty my whole life, so supporting the community and school is my favorite part of the job.”
West Liberty State Bank is also a Fine Arts Booster member and gave $2500 to buy band instruments last year. They host the band performance each year at the Holiday Stroll, and Loan Officer, Leo Villarreal, sings the national anthem for special events. Leo graduated from West Liberty High School and trained as an opera singer.
“It’s always special when we get Leo to sing the national anthem,” said Activities Director, Adam Loria. “I know I can count on West Liberty State Bank when we need a little extra help here and there. It’s been beneficial to have the Market President on the volunteer committee for the athletic complex. This is an awesome gift, and it was fun to announce it at the teacher breakfast.”
West Liberty State Bank is putting their sponsorship towards the ticket booth at the main entrance. The complex will have one main gate for patrons to enter and exit. This will be an improvement over the current set up, which varies from field to field.
“Depending on the field, patrons enter and exit through various entrances,” said Loria. “At the softball and baseball fields, there is no entrance. There are no sidewalks to direct people from the parking lot to the fields, and fans can walk up and put a lawn chair out wherever they would like. That is revenue we are missing out on. Having one central and confined ticket booth will be a big improvement for our facilities.”
The new complex went to bid in August and the district plans to host a groundbreaking in mid-September. The first phase is groundwork and site prep. The second phase is field work, which should begin sometime in early November.
Contacts:
Shaun Kruger, West Liberty Superintendent 319-627-2116
Adam Loria, West Liberty Activities Director 319-627-2116