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Employee Involvement

At FHLBank Pittsburgh, Commitment to Community Doesn’t End with Dollars

As a government sponsored enterprise that fulfills a public mission, FHLBank Pittsburgh helps support the regional economy with billions of dollars of liquidity and millions of dollars of grants each year. But for many of the Bank’s employees, doing good for the community doesn’t stop at quitting time. In fact, over the years, hundreds of the Bank’s employees have taken time out from both their workday and personal schedules to make a difference for their friends and neighbors.

The Bank’s longest running volunteerism program, HomeWork, began in 1996 and concluded in 2007. Over the years, hundreds of employees, along with banking friends and family members, pitched in at a variety of work sites across western Pennsylvania to construct, repair and rehabilitate housing for lower-income individuals and families – mirroring FHLBank’s core commitment to affordable housing. At sites in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, East Liberty, Braddock and elsewhere, volunteers engaged in dry walling, roofing and siding and contributed in numerous other ways, including fixing up homes damaged by flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. Several week-long “Blitz Builds” saw affordable homes built from foundations to roofs and everything in between. All told, more than one year’s worth of time and labor was contributed by Bank employees through HomeWork.

The Bank’s employees have been equally enthusiastic in the area of mentoring. The Mentoring Minds program provided high school students with an opportunity to develop skills in public speaking and business etiquette, become exposed to basic banking functions and participate in mock marketing competitions – all at the Bank. Through this program, dozens of employee volunteers annually touched the lives of hundreds of students.

Committed associates have also gone out into the community to lend a hand. Employees helped teach computer classes and volunteered with art projects as part of the Extra Mile Education Foundation’s outreach to at-risk students drawn primarily from single family homes. Others have wielded a ladle and passed out plates at Jubilee Soup Kitchen, serving lunch to the less fortunate.

To top it all off, the Bank continues to field a very creative team of dessert lovers at ice cream social events staged by Pressley Ridge to help raise funds that support the nonprofit’s foster care, residential, case management and educational services for troubled and developmentally challenged youth. The Bank’s self-styled chefs have whipped up concoctions that have delighted the crowd while serving a good cause – winning awards in 2004 and 2006 for their efforts.

At FHLBank Pittsburgh, commitment to community doesn’t end with dollars.