Zions Employees Lend a Hand

Residents who face challenges maintaining their homes received a helping hand during Zions Bank’s 28th annual Paint-a-Thon service project. In June, more than 2,800 Zions employees and their families volunteered to scrape and paint 41 homes in Idaho and Utah belonging to low-income elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners.

The week-long event has made a visible impact in local communities for nearly three decades. In addition to painting, volunteers help with improvements such as yard cleanup, mowing, planting and minor repairs. 

The program helps elderly residents take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. The average age of this year’s homeowner was 74, with an average yearly income of $23,000. Paint-a-Thon projects are selected with the assistance of nominations from the public, state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches.

“We know senior citizens cherish the opportunity to remain in their homes as long as possible, so this is our way of helping them accomplish that goal,” says Zions Bank President and CEO Scott Anderson. “Every year, Zions Bank employees look forward to Paint-a-Thon and helping our neighbors spruce up their homes and yards when they can no longer do the job themselves.”

Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. During the past 28 years, Zions Bank employees have put aside summer pastimes for a week each year — volunteering in the evenings after work and on Saturday — to paint 1,181 homes throughout Idaho and Utah. Not counting the dollar value of volunteer hours through the years, the bank has donated more than $1 million toward beautifying homes in the two states.