Cheryl Jones, President and CEO of Girls Inc. of St. Louis, welcomed Ellen Dierberg Milne, Vice Chairwoman of the Board at First Bank, to meet the girls on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Written by Stacy Clay – Director of Community Affairs, First Bank
Originally published in the St. Louis Business Journal, April 7, 2025
At First Bank, we envision a future where our time, attention and charitable funding collectively help shape a more positive future for generations to come. First Bank Chairman Michael Dierberg and CEO Mikel Williamson are passionate about supporting educational options for all young people, but especially those from historically disadvantaged communities.
Although our banking products and services are modern and sophisticated, we are at our core a community bank. As a key component of our foundation, it continues to define who we are over 100 years later.
As a multi-generational, family-owned bank, we are keenly focused on supporting like-minded businesses. In addition to providing tailored financial products and superior solutions, our emphasis on the next generation aligns with our business focus of supporting family-owned and privately held businesses through the generations. This generational connection ties both our business and our philanthropic imperatives together. Simply put, our ethos is our focus on the next generation.
Our own pursuit of long-term success is driven by passionately assisting our clients and communities while building and expanding relationships, even ahead of short-term gains.
Although other organizations invest in shorter-term projects that are important to them, First Bank’s philosophy is reimagined to focus on a broader, longer-term vision.
Investing in the next generation is really a long-term strategy. By focusing on education and resources for young people today, we believe it will create a foundation for them to become active, productive members of our community tomorrow. If we prioritize early investments in educational programs, the communities we serve will reap substantial benefits in the future.
Our philosophy is long-term with even longer returns.
We are reimagining our philanthropy by not just funding successful nonprofit organizations, but also supporting those that offer essential resources, education and services to the broader community, empowering the next generation to achieve sustainable success. With our trust-based philanthropy, we offer flexibility with our funding to allow our partners to be responsive to the dynamic needs of the communities they serve. Of course, our position is to only partner with reputable agencies with a strong track record of success.
We remain dedicated to supporting initiatives that create meaningful change in our communities. In 2024, our dedicated employees volunteered nearly 2,000 hours of their time at organizations throughout our footprint to support young people in under-resourced communities through financial literacy, workforce development and rolling up our sleeves to lend a hand to those in need.
Last year, we proudly partnered with nearly 140 nonprofits across our footprint, including donating over $900,000 in cash contributions to reputable organizations such as:
Habit for Humanity, Junior Achievement, Family Forward – St. Louis, KIPP St. Louis Schools, Ready Readers, STL Youth Jobs and St. Louis Public Schools Foundation.
We are proud of our new partnership with Girls Inc. – St. Louis and our newly-developed First Bank Business and Entrepreneurship Program. The initiative ran for six weeks during the summer and will expand, adding a new cohort each year for the next five years, while equipping young women with valuable business and financial management skills.
Together, First Bank’s aim is to forge a promising future for the next generation of leaders and innovators, ensuring lasting benefits for many years to come. That’s a philosophy I fully endorse.
Written by Stacy Clay – Director of Community Affairs, First Bank
Originally published in the St. Louis Business Journal, April 7, 2025
At First Bank, we envision a future where our time, attention and charitable funding collectively help shape a more positive future for generations to come. First Bank Chairman Michael Dierberg and CEO Mikel Williamson are passionate about supporting educational options for all young people, but especially those from historically disadvantaged communities.
Although our banking products and services are modern and sophisticated, we are at our core a community bank. As a key component of our foundation, it continues to define who we are over 100 years later.
As a multi-generational, family-owned bank, we are keenly focused on supporting like-minded businesses. In addition to providing tailored financial products and superior solutions, our emphasis on the next generation aligns with our business focus of supporting family-owned and privately held businesses through the generations. This generational connection ties both our business and our philanthropic imperatives together. Simply put, our ethos is our focus on the next generation.
Our own pursuit of long-term success is driven by passionately assisting our clients and communities while building and expanding relationships, even ahead of short-term gains.
Although other organizations invest in shorter-term projects that are important to them, First Bank’s philosophy is reimagined to focus on a broader, longer-term vision.
Investing in the next generation is really a long-term strategy. By focusing on education and resources for young people today, we believe it will create a foundation for them to become active, productive members of our community tomorrow. If we prioritize early investments in educational programs, the communities we serve will reap substantial benefits in the future.
Our philosophy is long-term with even longer returns.
We are reimagining our philanthropy by not just funding successful nonprofit organizations, but also supporting those that offer essential resources, education and services to the broader community, empowering the next generation to achieve sustainable success. With our trust-based philanthropy, we offer flexibility with our funding to allow our partners to be responsive to the dynamic needs of the communities they serve. Of course, our position is to only partner with reputable agencies with a strong track record of success.
We remain dedicated to supporting initiatives that create meaningful change in our communities. In 2024, our dedicated employees volunteered nearly 2,000 hours of their time at organizations throughout our footprint to support young people in under-resourced communities through financial literacy, workforce development and rolling up our sleeves to lend a hand to those in need.
Last year, we proudly partnered with nearly 140 nonprofits across our footprint, including donating over $900,000 in cash contributions to reputable organizations such as:
Habit for Humanity, Junior Achievement, Family Forward – St. Louis, KIPP St. Louis Schools, Ready Readers, STL Youth Jobs and St. Louis Public Schools Foundation.
We are proud of our new partnership with Girls Inc. – St. Louis and our newly-developed First Bank Business and Entrepreneurship Program. The initiative ran for six weeks during the summer and will expand, adding a new cohort each year for the next five years, while equipping young women with valuable business and financial management skills.
Together, First Bank’s aim is to forge a promising future for the next generation of leaders and innovators, ensuring lasting benefits for many years to come. That’s a philosophy I fully endorse.
