You can bank on it

COEUR d’ALENE - As a small business loan specialist with Mountain West Bank, Krystal Vigoa often pours over paperwork.

Wednesday morning, she was pouring concrete as a volunteer with the bank’s 13th annual Day of Caring campaign.

“We love to be able to help small businesses,” Vigoa said at the worksite just south of Neider Avenue off Fourth Street. “Being able to do something like this, seeing how it helps the community, we actually do make an impact.”

Vigoa was among about 30 Mountain West employees putting up a fence at Habitat for Humanity’s 21-unit affordable housing complex on Wednesday morning, with an afternoon crew on the way. More were at Tesh, Inc.

All told, bank staff and volunteers from 16 offices in North Idaho and Eastern Washington helped eight charitable and public organizations complete projects.

Their efforts included painting the shelter house for the Family Crisis Network in Newport, building a boardwalk for a trail at Pine Street Woods in Sandpoint, and completing outdoor cleanup projects and painting benches at Plante's Ferry Park and Sports Complex in Spokane Valley.

United Way of North Idaho oversees the Day of Caring projects that were continued from Sept. 15, when the work day was canceled due to poor air quality.

Jen Reynolds with United Way said their impact was significant.

“Half of the stuff wouldn’t get done without all these amazing volunteers,” she said.

The new fence at the Habitat for Humanity site stretched about 200 feet on the south property line.

Tami Benson, Mountain West Bank assistant operations manager, said they mixed cement, leveled posts, and painted planks.

All were glad to be there, Benson said.

“Anything that’s related to the community, if we are passionate about it, the bank says, ‘Go do it.’"

Vigoa said Mountain West Bank employees are out there, pitching in where there's a need.

“With us, you see us, we’re here,” she said. “Our footprint is here.”