Zions Bank Press Release: Annual Paint-a-Thon

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah; June 3, 2015 —Senior citizens and disabled residents who face challenges maintaining their homes are getting a helping hand from Zions Bank volunteers out in force during the bank’s 25th annual Paint-a-Thon service project. Throughout the week of June 8, 46 homes across Utah and Idaho will receive a fresh coat of paint and landscaping.

More than 2,500 Zions Bank employees and their families are “brushing up” on community service to help low-income, aging residents live independently in the homes they love while maintaining their dignity and health.

The service project helps the populations in Utah and Idaho as its residents are growing older and living longer. The population of people 65 and over is projected to increase by 145 percent between 2000 and 2030, according to the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services. In Idaho, about 23 percent of the state’s population will be over age 60 by the year 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

With the aging population booming, Zions Bank is assisting them in staying in their homes for as long as possible, a goal for 90 percent of people over age 65, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute.

The average age of this year’s Paint-a-Thon homeowner is 75, with an average monthly income of $1,409. Projects completed during the annual week-long event were selected with the assistance of state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches.

“It’s been so gratifying for me to see how our employees have given their time and elbow grease over the past 25 years to help beautify our neighborhoods,” said Zions Bancorporation Chairman and CEO Harris Simmons, who himself has wielded paintbrushes and rollers each year over the course of the project’s history. “The Paint-a-Thon exemplifies our company’s culture of service and dedication to our communities.”

Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the past 25 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 1,046 homes throughout Idaho and Utah. The cost for all paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank. 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.

Zions Bank, a division of ZB, N.A., operates 124 full-service financial centers throughout Utah and Idaho. In addition to offering a wide range of traditional banking services, Zions Bank is also a leader in small business lending and has consistently ranked as the No. 1 lender of U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loans in Utah for the past 22 years and Idaho’s Boise District for the past 14 years. Founded in 1873, Zions Bank has been serving the communities of the Intermountain West for more than 140 years. Additional information is available at www.zionsbank.com.